It sounds like China has the right idea on how to stimulate their economy.
By Daniel at 9 November, 2008, 8:58 pm
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China Unveils 4 Trillion Yuan Spending as World Faces Recession
By Li Yanping and Chia-Peck Wong
Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) — China pledged a 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus plan to prop up growth in the fourth-largest economy as the world heads toward a recession.
The funds, equivalent to almost a fifth of China’s gross domestic product last year, will be used by the end of 2010, the Beijing-based State Council said yesterday on its Web site. Following a weekend meeting in Sao Paulo, finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations, of which China is a member, issued a joint statement saying they are ready to act “urgently” to tackle the economic slump.
“If the Chinese use this as a diplomatic initiative, it could be an important step toward a more coordinated response,” Simon Johnson, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, said in Boston.
China is taking steps to bolster its economy, the biggest contributor to global expansion, less than a week before President Hu Jintao goes to Washington for talks with world leaders on ways to revive growth. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama vowed last week to push a package through Congress “immediately after” taking office in January if lawmakers and the Bush administration can’t agree on one before then.
China accounted for 27 percent of global economic growth last year, more than any other nation, according to IMF estimates. Central bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said Nov. 8 that boosting spending at home is the best way China can help avert a prolonged world recession.
The stimulus package, of which 100 billion yuan is earmarked for this quarter, will go toward low-rent housing, infrastructure in rural areas, as well as roads, railways and airports, it said.
The government will allow tax deductions for purchases of fixed assets such as machinery to stimulate investment, a move that will reduce companies’ costs by an estimated 120 billion yuan.
Grain Subsidies
In addition, grain purchase prices and subsidies for farmers will be raised, as will allowances for low-income urban households. The government also scrapped loan quotas to help boost lending to small businesses.
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