Six departments including the State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") have recently issued the Circular on Further Optimizing Services for the Establishment of Enterprises (the "Circular").
The Circular mainly stipulates the following three aspects: 1. Effectively ensuring that the whole process of starting a business can be carried out online. By the end of 2020, all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps will open a one-stop platform for the establishment of enterprises, with which the whole process can be carried out online throughout the country. 2. Further reducing the time, links and cost for starting a business. By the end of 2020, the time for starting a business will be reduced to four working days nationwide; in those places where conditions permit, it is encouraged to reduce the time of starting a business to less than four working days while ensuring the quality of work. It is also encouraged in the eligible places to change the method of "purchase first and deduction later" for receiving tax control device, and distribute the Ukey for taxation purposes to new startups free of charge. 3. Vigorously promoting the application of electronic business licenses, electronic invoices and electronic seals. Efforts shall be made to continue to promote electronic ordinary VAT invoices and actively advance the development of electronic special VAT invoices.