Documents and regulations that set restrictions for enterprises should be submitted to the State Council for evaluation, Premier Li Keqiang said at the State Council executive meeting on April 8.

A series of measures were announced at the meeting to ease the burden on enterprises and support the development of the country’s economy.

The Premier proposed the issue at an executive meeting on May 30 last year.

At the meeting on April 8, relevant departments gave details about their achievements over the past two years.

Premier Li requested that measures detailed in the new documents, concerning the abolishment and regulation of fees for enterprises, should be implemented.

The Premier said that last year the central and local governments canceled altogether 1,000 charges of fees related to enterprises.

“We should use this opportunity to inspect and self-examine whether the reform has been implemented,” said the Premier. “We should not just issue policies and then forget to check whether enterprises receive the benefits.”

Premier Li said that regulating fees concerning enterprises around the country is not only a part of streamlining administration while playing a role in the transformation of government functions — it is also an effective measure of proactive fiscal policy.

He also said that, during visits to various companies, he heard that there are still many fees — and relevant departments said there were “dozens”, while the companies insisted that there were “hundreds” of different charges.

The Premier said he did not see how enterprises could develop soundly with so many fees.

He added that charges increase operating costs, and “affect market expectation and cost calculation.”

“The disorganized situation seriously affected the development of enterprises and must now be reformed.”

The Premier said that the government should take more advantage of market power, try its best to stimulate market vitality and ease the burden on enterprises.

His new action plan involves: First, to examine various charges and cancel “unreasonable” ones. Second, to compile and publish lists of charges for public supervision.

Third, to investigate and punish those guilty of demanding fees for charges not included on the lists.

Two weeks ago, an official at the State Administration for Industry and Commerce recently told the Premier that they had concluded that over 60 percent of newly registered market entities last year are in active operation. Premier Li praised this achievement on April 8 but insisted there is still room for improvement.

Companies still face many obstacles, Premier Li said, adding that standardizing fees for enterprises is an important measure to stimulate market vitality and economic development.

The Premier also said he hopes that the measure will become effective within six months.