A total of 277 million yuan ($42.6 million) in overdue Party membership dues was paid off by Party members in Tianjin, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Over 120,000 Party members and officials from 66 State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Tianjin failed to pay Party membership dues fully or on time, a special campaign by the Tianjin Party committee found.
A Party regulation implemented in 2008 clearly stipulates that Party membership dues should be collected from members based on their actual total pay.
However, the Tianjin Party committee discovered that the Party membership dues paid by some SOEs were based on salary figures that excluded employees' annual performance pay or performance bonuses.
In response to its findings, the Party committee said it will initiate regular inspections and random checks to improve the management of membership dues.
Some 22 SOEs in North China's Shanxi Province similarly paid off over 80 million yuan in delinquent Party membership dues in April.
According to Party regulations, members are required to pay membership dues proportional to their monthly wages after tax.
Those earning less than 3,000 yuan per month need to pay 0.5 percent of their income, but those earning over 10,000 yuan per month should pay 2 percent.
According to Article 9 of the Party Constitution, members who have not paid dues for six consecutive months without a proper reason will have their Party membership revoked.
The Party Constitution also states that dues are collected to enhance members' awareness of Party regulations as well as to encourage members to shoulder their responsibilities and obligations.
