[Learning Chinese] What's a birth worth?

By this token, some joked that if former NBA star Yao Ming and his wife Ye Li planned to have more children, they could face an SMF fine of 1.4 billion yuan ($222.9 million) in Shanghai. If their children were born in Beijing, a city with one of the country's harshest penalties for breaches of the family planning policy, they could be charged 4.6 billion yuan, roughly 20 times their annual income.

 

He Yafu, an independent scholar of the one-child policy, estimated that over 2 trillion yuan in revenue from fines has been collected nationwide since the policy's inception decades ago. The soaring amount has ignited public discussion over how the money is spent and whether the penalty should still be imposed as China braces for problems stemming from its aging population.

 

Tracking the revenue

 

The SMF was introduced in 2002 to replac direct fines imposed against people who breached China's family planning policy, which since 1979 has only permitted one child per couple. Its amount is determined based on the income level of offenders, although some couples - such as rural parents, ethnic minorities, and parents without siblings them-selves - are legally permitted to have multiple children.

 

Former Olympic diving champion Tian Liang and his wife Ye Yiqian became the latest celebrities involved in family planning controversy. After they welcomed their second child, a boy, at a Hong Kong hospital last month, anticipation was high that they would be required to pay 2 million yuan ($317,082) for the SMF.

 

"China has no detailed records about exactly just how much money has been paid in fees since the one-child policy was implemented, so the figure of 2 trillion yuan was calculated conservatively," He told the Global Times.

 

If all couples required to adhere to the one-child policy had abided by it, the country's population would have been 1.1 billion in 2000. The fifth national census, conducted in 2000, put the country's population at 1.26 billion, indicating that at least 150 million to 200 million babies were born in breach of the policy, He said.

 

"Considering SMF penalties have varied over the past three decades, I estimate that the average amount paid by couples is about 10,000 yuan," He said. "This would amount to total revenue from fines being between 1.5 to 2 trillion yuan. But who can tell wher this money goes?"

 

While official figures might be lacking, local governments have received the bulk of SMF money. Zhejiang collected 894 million yuan in SMF revenue in 2009, which for the first time surpassed so-called "management fees" collected by business supervisory authorities in the province.

 

Elsewher in East China, SMF revenue in Anhui Province topped 845 billion yuan in 2010, up 61 percent year-on-year, according to Beijing weekly newspaper, the Investor Journal.

 

How money is directed varies between provinces. The Journal reported that in Shandong Province, 85 percent of SMF revenue is distributed to county-level family planning authorities. How the money is then spent remains unclear.

 

Song Xiaobin, an official from the family planning department in Shaoyang, Hunan Province, told the Global Times that SMF revenue in the city is two to six times higher than other parts of China. SMF revenue is not at the disposal of the family planning department, Song added.

 

Fee collecting 'terrorism'

 

In extreme cases when a couple delays or refuses to pay its SMF, some local authorities have intervened and placed their children in foster care. Offending parents can also be detained or have money taken from their bank accounts to pay the SMF.

 

To ensure strict adherence to the law, the central government allows local governments to make their own regulations regarding enforcement of the one-child policy. It's a move that hasn't been without controversy.

 

Zeng Yougao, a resident from Gaofeng village in Shaoyang, had two children before he and his wife had twins in 2009, bringing their family to six. At the time, Zeng's annual income was around 10,000 yuan. He was ordered to pay 3,000 yuan for each of his twins.

 

"We initially agreed to pay the SMF. However, they asked for 10,000 yuan only a week later," Zeng told the Global Times.

 

In another case, Yang Zhizhu, a former associate professor at the China Youth University for Political Sciences, was dismissed and fined for having a second child. Yang branded the SMF scheme as "fee collecting terrorism."

 

"Local authorities can randomly decide how much money you should pay without considering real living and income standards," Yang said, adding that he couldn't afford his SMF of 240,000 yuan demanded by family planning authorities in Haidian district, Beijing.

 

Push for reform

 

An official surnamed Dai from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, was exposed in 2010 of asking a mother for an 800,000-yuan SMF, warning that the amount would double overnight if she didn't pay.

 

Song Jian, an associate professor with the School of Sociology and Population Studies at the Renmin University of China, said that fining offending parents was controversial, although necessary.

 

"The SMF aims to ensure family planning moves in the same direction as the national blueprint of curbing the population. The fee is reasonable," Song said.

 

Acknowledging criticism over the lack of transparency, Song said money should be used to compensate families who have more than one child to ensure their children all receive equal opportunities.

 

Chinese you need:

 

Family planning policy：计划生育政策 (jì huà shēng yù zhèng cè)

Social maintenance fee (SMF)：社会抚养费 (shè huì fǔ yǎng fèi)

Revenue：收益 (shōu yì)

Ethnic minority：少数民族 (shǎo shù mín zú)

Controversy：争议 (zhēng yì)

One-child policy ：独生子女政策 (dú shēng zǐ nǚ zhèng cè)

Conservatively：保守地 (bǎo shǒu de)

Distribute：分配 (fēn pèi)

Unclear：不清楚的 (bù qīng chǔ de)

Disposal ：处置 (chǔ zhì)

Intervene：干涉 (gān shè)

Foster：寄养的 (jì yǎng de)

Enforcement：执行 (zhí xíng)

Dismiss：解雇 (jiě gù)

Blueprint：蓝图 (lán tú)