扫除跨境电商退运阻碍******
扫除跨境电商退运阻碍
李鸣涛
跨境电商出口退运的税收优惠来了。近日，财政部、海关总署、税务总局联合发布《关于跨境电子商务出口退运商品税收政策的公告》，降低跨境电商企业出口商品退运成本，积极支持外贸新业态发展。
近年来，解决跨境电商出口商品退货的便利化问题，进一步降低跨境电商出口企业运营成本，备受关注。海关数据显示，2022年我国跨境电商进出口(含B2B)2.11万亿元，其中，出口1.55万亿元，进口0.56万亿元。如按电商企业平均10%的退换货率计算，去年一年我国跨境电商出口商品的退换货金额影响不可小视。当前，大量跨境电商零售出口退货商品，因退运国内物流成本高、进境要求严格且手续复杂等原因，滞留在海外仓库中，需要支付高额的仓储费用，最终大多数商品只能在海外低价促销或销毁，造成大量损失。尤其对很多小微跨境电商出口企业而言，退换货的处理成本蚕食了相当大比例的企业利润。
2022年9月，商务部发布的《支持外贸稳定发展若干政策措施》提出，加快出台便利跨境电商出口退换货的税收政策。而此次出台的政策，将为跨境电商出口企业挽回不少退运成本，减少企业后顾之忧，稳定外贸企业预期。为进一步优化跨境电商出口商品退货流程与规定，为企业提供更多便利，降低操作门槛与企业退货入境成本，下一步可建立起从采购、出境、仓储、销售到退换货处理的全过程完整闭环。
降低退换货条件。按照国家进出口关税条例，因品质或者规格原因，出口货物自出口之日起1年内原状复运进境的，不征收进口关税。这一规定主要是针对一般贸易货物出口，跨境电商零售出口商品发生退货的原因普遍多样，加之境外电商平台倾向于保护消费者利益，很多商品都是经过短暂使用后不满意而发生退货，产品的品质和规格可能并无问题。此次新政策在跨境电商出口商品退运原因上不再强调因品质或规格原因，“滞销、退货”的表述更符合跨境电商商品特点。
优化退货税收政策。对于出口货物和已汇总形成报关单的9610出口商品来说，如何证明商品未退税或退税已补税，是复运进境不征税的重要条件。按照目前规定，退货企业需要向税务部门申请开具相关证明，申请时需要向税务部门提供申报表、报关单、出口发票、税收通用缴款书原件及复印件等证明材料。对此，可考虑利用国际贸易单一窗口平台等，一站式提交相关申请，提升管理部门审核效率；同时针对退货商品的特点和属性，在补缴税款方面制定特别政策。
探索邮包自发货出口退货处理方式。当前我国跨境电商出口中，还有大量的小微卖家采用自发货模式通过邮政小包、商业快件等向境外消费者递送商品，出口报关是通过邮件通关，尚未纳入跨境电商通关报关体系内。这种方式下的退货商品，如退回国内也只能通过个人邮包，成本非常高昂。可考虑实施邮包跨境电商出口商品退货集货模式，在海外设立退货商品集货仓统一批量退运回国内，以降低退运成本，并在通关、税收方面探索相应管理措施。
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
