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Guo Jinlong: Temporary Price Interventions to Ensure Stable Prices for Essentials

The Beijing Municipal Government will intervene, when necessary, to control prices for basic commodities and services before and during the 2008 Olympic Games to ensure price stability in ordinary people’s lives, according to Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong.

Guo was elected the mayor of Beijing during the first session of the 13th Beijing Municipal People’s Congress on January 26 after serving as acting mayor since November 30, 2007.

On January 20th, during the opening of the 13th Municipal People’s Congress, Guo, in his Report on the Work of the Government, said Beijing’s consumer price index increased by 2.4 percent in 2007 and recognized that prices for goods and services in the capital could be pressured upward because of the Olympic Games, something of great concern to common citizens who would feel these pressures in their everyday lives.

The mayor said the government would “strictly control the adjustment to government-decided-and-guided prices and take temporary measures to intervene in the pricing of basic commodities and services when necessary….Emergency aid and temporary subsidies will be employed to ensure that the living standards of low-income families do not fall and to ensure the stabilization of supply and prices for dining halls in universities.”

With regard to possible price hikes during the Olympic Games, Guo said the government would use “classified guidance” to prevent drastic increases in the price of key commodities and services during the Olympic Games.

His comments came as the central government took action to stabilize prices, despite a debate in academic circles about whether the government should be involved in determining prices in a market economy.

In the mayor’s report, “prices for services” seemed to refer to hotels, catering businesses, tourism and other service sectors, while commodities involved foods, edible oils, and meats.

Guo said the goals could be achieved by “strengthening communication and cooperation with major supply regions on the efficient links between production and transportation as well as the storage of important commodities, so that basic living necessities are not out of stock.”

“The living necessities of Beijing residents partly rely on supply from outside the city. Therefore, we encourage our living-necessity manufacturers and major wholesalers to take quick measures in preparing supply and distribution to ensure a sufficient supply with stable prices.”

All the measures serve one goal: to keep the year-on-year growth of the consumer price index within 3.5 percent in 2008.

Maintaining a stable price environment is just one of the measures the Beijing Municipal Government is planning to take to improve the livelihood of the citizens in 2008.

Housing, as another major concern for the common people, is also a focus of the work report. Basic measures will include “strengthening and improving control of the real estate market; adjusting the structure of the land supply; strictly executing management policies regarding mortgage loans; and accelerating the development of second-hand properties and the leasing market.”

The municipal government will allocate 2.9 billion yuan (US$406 million) to buy and construct 500,000 square metres (sq.m) of low-rent housing so it can bring more low-income families into the plan. At the same time, three million sq.m of economical houses will be constructed. Applications for purchase and the housing’s management will be strictly monitored. The development of small- and-medium-sized commodity houses with middle- and-low prices will be encouraged with a focus on the building of 4.5 million sq.m of low-priced housing.

郭金龙：必要时将对部分生活必需品实行临时价格干预政策

文/薛京晶

北京2008年奥运会对许多商家来说，无疑是一个赢利的良好的商机，但对普通市民而言，他们大都担心的是，奥运商机会不会成为一个物价上涨的“带头人”。食品价格直接关系人民群众的日常生活，当前，保障市场供应、稳定市场价格，缓解价格过快上涨对群众生活的影响，确保群众过上安定、舒心的生活，是政府义不容辞的责任。

在刚刚闭幕的北京市第十三届人民代表大会上，新当选的北京市市长郭金龙在2008年《北京市政府工作报告》（以下简称“报告”）中明确提到：“严格控制政府定价和政府指导价的调整，必要时对部分重要的居民基本生活必需品及服务，实行临时价格干预措施。采取应急救助、临时补贴等措施，确保低收入群体生活水平不下降，保障学校食堂食品供应和饭菜价格稳定。采取分类指导的办法，防止奥运会期间相关商品和服务价格出现恶性上涨。”

报告里同时提到了服务价格和商品价格两方面。其中，服务价格主要控制的是宾馆、餐饮、旅游等服务型行业的过度涨价。商品则涉及一些粮食、成品油、肉类等居民生活必需品，这与目前国家发展与改革委员会正在全国实行的临时价格干预措施相似，都是针对短期内的物价过快上涨进行一些行政调控。

2007年是中国物价上涨较快的一年，“跑不过刘翔，要跑过CPI（居民消费价格指数）”虽然是一个夸张的比喻，但也折射出了目前国内市场的价格形势。在这种情况下，少数企业趁机哄抬价格、散布涨价信息，严重扰乱了市场价格秩序，对人民群众，特别是对部分困难群众的生活造成了较大影响。为此，中国政府把保持物价稳定作为2008年的重要工作之一。

2008年1月9日，中国国务院总理温家宝主持召开了国务院常务会议，研究部署保持物价稳定工作，作出修改《价格违法行为行政处罚规定》的决定，并提出加强对居民的生活必需品实行临时价格监管。尽管社会对于政府是否应该使用这样的计划手段有一些争议，但即使在西方国家，对价格的行政干预也是存在的，只是政府一定要注意临时性和辅助性，不应损害市场经济体制的原则。

对于北京来说，尽管举办奥运会存在一些相对特殊的情况，但一样不能违背市场主导价格的原则。2007年，北京地区CPI上涨2.4％，虽然远低于全国平均水平，但依然不能放松警惕。郭金龙市长在报告中表示：“北京市将高度重视2008年的物价工作，切实做好居民基本生活必需品的价格稳定工作。加强与主要供应地的沟通与合作，搞好产运销衔接和重要商品储备，确保基本生活必需品不脱销、不断档。北京市的居民生活必需品具有部分依赖外部资源供给的特点，所以不论是居民生活必需品的生产企业，还是销售市场，我们都鼓励其尽快准备货源和进行物资调配，满足居民生活的需求和维护市场的稳定。同时，采取分类指导的办法防止奥运期间部分商品和服务的价格出现恶性上涨。”郭金龙市长同时还表示：“2008年的目标是居民消费价格指数低于全国平均水平，力争调控在103.5％左右。”报告内容直接回答了市民的担心，给了市民一颗定心丸。

政府对稳定市场价格进行宏观调控，关系到了每位居民的日常生活，其实质就是民生问题。如果解决不好，不仅会影响到百姓生活，也会影响奥运会的成功举办。

实行临时价格干预措施，主要是从市场供求关系上下工夫，通过采取提价申报和调价备案两种方式，保证市场供应和进行物价调控。政府不干预企业的正常生产经营，也不改变企业自主定价的性质，政府干预的是企业不合理调价，不是冻结价格，并明确规定无正当理由不得要求企业亏损经营。这样既为制定新政策和发挥原有政策的作用赢得了时间，也为企业发展生产、增加供应和安定群众生活创造良好的环境。

郭金龙市长同时指出，相关部门现在需要考虑的，不仅是奥运会前和期间可能出现的市场问题，也需要研究“后奥运经济”的发展。保持经济平稳发展，将“后奥运”的不利因素转化为有利条件，也是政府需要进一步关注的问题。