Tax departments in the coastal city of Xiamen have rolled out a series of measures to facilitate the resumption of production for foreign trade enterprises during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, according to local media reports on March 2.

Online services related to export tax rebates have been introduced to foreign trade enterprises, and local authorities have also opened green channels to fast-track procedures and help them weather the outbreak.

Xiamen tax authorities collected a total of 108 million yuan ($15.5 million) in export tax rebates for 204 foreign trade firms in the Xiamen Torch High-Tech Zone this February.

Tax authorities across Xiamen are currently doing their jobs in a no-contact manner to avoid infection, and export-related businesses are able to implement online declarations, so there is no need to file a lot of paperwork. Taxation authorities can also complete approval procedures online, speeding up the rebate process.

“The fast-track procedures have greatly improved work efficiency, alleviating financial pressure,” said a manager of a local enterprise, “our company completed all the rebate procedures online without going to the local taxation department, which was a real time-saver,” he added.