Chinese scholars have caused public outcry for proposing salary deductions for all under-40s to subsidize families with 2 kids in a bid to encourage more births.



China recorded 17.23 million births in 2017, 630,000 less than in 2016, with births in the first half of 2018 at least 15 percent less than in the same period in 2017. "The peak birth period since the 'two-child' policy has passed," the newspaper, Xinhua Daily, said on Tuesday.



The number of Chinese women in their peak fertility age will drop by 40 percent within the next 10 years. China's fertility rate faces a significant drop, the report noted.



The report stressed that the country should "immediately remove birth limits as a short-term response."



The report also proposed to establish a fertility fund where citizens under the age of 40 would be required to contribute to the fund every year until they have two children.



They can withdraw their money and a subsidy supported by the government when they have their second child or beyond. Some netizens, however, consider the recommendation unfair for families who prefer not to have a second child.



The report considers people born between 1986 and 1990 the group that would be most open to having children.



This group numbers 120 million and has two years left in their peak childbearing period. The country "should seize the opportunity to maximize fertility," the report said.



The report also called for an end to charging fees for having more children. On the contrary, the fees already collected should serve as a subsidy for families of four.



According to State Council regulations, families that have more children than allowed will be charged a fee, which is normally three times the average annual income of a family in the region.



Global Times