China to crack down on family planning fines after abuses found

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will crack down on penalties paid by families flouting strict family planning rules after a National Audit Office probe found $260 million in fines had been levied illegally, state media reported. There has been growing public anger about the one-child policy, which was introduced in the late 1970s to prevent population growth spiralling out of control. The policy covers 63 percent of China, although family planning rules have been loosened over the years to allow some couples to have a second child. …