People in Beijing convicted of serious offences could face whopping fines more than three times higher than existing penalties under a new plan to cut crime.

Serious offences such as disrupting public security, damaging the ecological environment and stealing natural resources, could result in a fine of up to 100,000 yuan (US$12,935), a significant jump from the current maximum, 30,000 yuan (US$3,880).

The latest revision of the upper limits of various administrative fines is now tabled for discussion at the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress, which commenced over the weekend.

The measures still need to be approved.

"The maximum administrative fine of 30,000 yuan has been kept for over 10 years, and it is no longer effective in deterring offenders," Li Xiaojuan, deputy director of the legal affairs office of the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress, said.

Both crime rates and successful prosecutions have risen in the past 20 years.

Statistics show that 5.88 million people were fined in 1986, but that number had soared to 24 million by 2003.

Li said activities that endangered human life should be dealt with harshly. He pointed as an example to construction companies failing to plug safety loopholes at building sites.

In addition, the new regulations will make fines consistent. Fines will no longer be subject to commercial considerations, and taxi drivers and those drivers of private vehicles will be subject to equal fines for traffic violations.

The 100,000 yuan fine ceiling was decided largely on "social economy and people's living standard", as well as comparisons to other big cities such as Shanghai, Li said.

Prosecutors, in more severe cases, will push for greater penalties outside of the scope of the ceiling fine limit.

"Punishments of some severe incidents shall be dealt with by the other laws and will not be confined by the fine ceiling," Zhang Yin, another deputy director of legal office, said.

In November, two restaurants in Beijing that had served Amazonian Snail dishes, leading to the hospitalization of dozens of diners, were fined 410,000 yuan (US$53,034).

(China Daily April 3, 2007)