Xinjiang Sees Tax-Revenue Increase in First Half

URUMQI, August 4 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region registered a total of 3.567 billion yuan in tax revenues in the first half of this year, up 23 percent compared to the same period of last year.

Steady economic growth, rising industrial production, and gradual recovery of state-owned enterprises are seen as the main contributors to the revenue increase.

The petrochemical industry, the region's pivotal industry, increased its output and sales by a wide margin during the period, also prompting the increase.

In the first six months, the region recorded a 6.6 percent increase in its GDP, up 2.5 percentage points over the same period of last year.

With tax offices at various levels redoubling their efforts to collect defaulted taxes, and strengthening control of tax- collecting, the autonomous region succeeded in getting back 350 million yuan of revenues defaulted over previous fiscal years.

Xinjiang also received 287 million yuan of revenues by stemming tax evasion and plugging tax-collecting loopholes in the first six months.