BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- China will further strengthen local finances to secure people's basic livelihood and payments at the primary level, among efforts to effectively contain the epidemic, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Wednesday.

The ratio of funds retained by local authorities, after deducting the tax revenue handed to the central government, will be increased by stages, the MOF said in a circular.

From March 1 to the end of June this year, a unified increase of five percentage points will be made on the basis of the approved ratio of funds retained by local authorities for the current year, the circular said.

The circular urged efforts to speed up transferring payments from the central budget to local authorities, to enhance their capabilities of securing basic livelihood.

More work should be done to adjust the structure of fiscal expenditure, said the circular.

Local financial departments at all levels should speed up the allocation of funds with a discounted rate, to ensure financial supports for key firms related to epidemic prevention and control, according to another MOF circular issued Wednesday.