Four ways to face Golden Tax Phase IV — and when each is right
Under data-driven tax administration, every Chinese SME has a tax risk posture, whether or not it chose one. Here is an honest comparison of the options, including ours.
The options
| Approach | Typical cost | What you get | Blind spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wait for a risk notice | CNY 0 — until it isn't | Nothing proactive; you learn your exposure from the tax bureau. | Penalty stacking across behaviours; late-payment surcharges accrue daily at 0.05%. |
| Free online checklists | Free | Generic awareness of common risks. | No quantification, no data authorization, no professional accountability. |
| Annual CPA audit | from ~CNY 2,000 | Financial-statement assurance; lenders often require it. | An audit opines on statements, not on tax risk patterns; calendar-driven, not risk-driven. |
| Tax consultant retainer | CNY 5,000–15,000+/yr | Standing advice, filings support, someone to call. | Costs more than most SME risk profiles justify before anything is known. |
| Shoushuibao tiered check | CNY 0 / 299 / 1,599 / 5,980+ / quoted | Quantified exposure on authorized data; firm-stamped rectification list; a path to year-round watch only if the check warrants it. | It is a check-up: not bookkeeping, not filing, not an attestation (see FAQ). |
Which fits when
- Clean, simple, single-entity business: the free triage now, and the CNY 299 AI check once — that combination is what most low-complexity businesses need.
- Multi-store / multi-platform / cross-border: the CNY 1,599 firm tier. Platform-reported revenue makes declaration gaps the highest-probability exposure; you want professionals filtering real items and a rectification list your accountant can execute.
- Received a tax risk notice: do not improvise a response. Quantify first (CNY 299/1,599), correct proactively — Chinese rules reward voluntary disclosure with lighter treatment — and consider special-project support for the response itself.
- Structurally complex or deal-bound: special-project tier; attestation-grade documents under dual signature where required.
What Shoushuibao is not
Not a bookkeeping or filing service, not a law firm, not an attestation issuer at the check tiers. If your situation needs those, the check tells you early — and its output is designed to hand to the professional who does the work.
Run the free check: open WeChat, search the mini-program 守税宝 (ShouShuiBao). International inquiries: bd@intentengine.cn.