Wei Jie claudiamente@hotmail.com THE activity center of the Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats (Shekou MSCE) in Nanshan District was bustling with expatriates seeking advice from a tax official and a volunteer with a background in international consulting Saturday afternoon. The center organized a seminar to inform more than 30 expats about the specifics of China’s annual individual income tax settlement. The lecture marked the second installment of the “Hot Topic in Shekou” service series, launched last month by the Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center. Tax-related issues are important yet rather complicated, affecting every individual, both locals and expats, said Nicole Tao, vice director of the Shekou MSCE, who oversees the service series. She invited He Chao, an experienced tax official from the Qianhai Tax Office, to explain the fundamental policies of personal income tax applicable to foreign nationals working in China. Working alongside international volunteer Wendy Hou, He clarified some key points in settling the annual individual income tax for expats. Hou, who also offers tax consulting services at the Shekou Foreign Legal Assistance Center, has eight years of experience in providing personal and corporate financial solutions. Many attendees expressed their appreciation for the event. “This is really helpful,” said Jason Woodard from the U.S., who works at Shenzhen InnoX technology incubator. Woodard found the lecture particularly beneficial, which focused on clarifying the distinction between resident and nonresident status in tax settlement. As a nonresident this year, Woodard learned about the potential changes in his status for the next year. Dave De Vylder, a Belgian product manager working with a Shenzhen company, traveled from Futian District for the seminar. He said he wanted to understand taxation in China and its benefits for expats like him. “My employer isn’t very clear about the matter, such as the standard tax deduction specifically for foreign nationals. I guess it’s because I’m the only foreign employee in the company. I’m glad I came, and I might return for future seminars, as tax is a really complex matter,” said De Vylder, who relocated to Shenzhen 18 months ago. He Chao and her colleagues brought a stack of bilingual tax brochures with detailed instructions on how to settle annual personal income tax on the official app for distribution at the seminar. “I’ve got one for myself to study later,” said Abdullah Ekici from Turkey. He mentioned that he had tried to declare taxes by himself at home but didn’t succeed. “This seminar is really informative,” said Ekici, adding that with a detailed translation of the key features of the tax app provided by Hou, he was optimistic about completing his tax declaration. The “Hot Topic in Shekou” service series aims to provide expats with professional, authoritative information on pressing issues faced by expats in Shenzhen. The event for next month will focus on legal interpretations of marital laws, said Tao, adding that the topic concerns many international families in the city. | 