Two departments: authorize eligible operations agencies to conduct data governance and development, and provide data products and services to the market fairly.

On January 20th, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics issued a notice on establishing a mechanism for the pricing of public data resource authorization operations. It proposed to clearly define the pricing range and management authority. Relevant regions, departments, and units engaged in the operation of public data resources authorization must register public data resources according to relevant regulations, authorize qualified operating organizations to carry out data governance and development, and provide data products and services to the market fairly. The authorizing body guides the operating organization to establish a list of data products and services that can be provided in various application scenarios, providing free services for public governance and public welfare and charging public data operation service fees for industrial development and industry development. The public data operation service fee is subject to government-guided price management. Data products and services registered by the national data management department are included in the central pricing catalog according to the procedure; those registered by local data management departments are included in the local pricing catalog according to the procedure. The provincial development and reform departments, in principle, in collaboration with data management departments, set the fee standards, and if necessary, can authorize the city-level and above government to set them. Scientifically determine the maximum allowable income. The development and reform department, in conjunction with the data management department, determines the maximum allowable income according to the principles of "cost compensation" and "reasonable profit". The maximum allowable income includes operating costs, allowable profits, and taxes. Operating costs refer to the reasonable expenses incurred by the operating organization in the process of providing data products and services for industrial and industry development after deducting government subsidies, mainly including the construction and operation costs related to authorized operations, data transmission, aggregation, storage, governance costs, human resource costs, related expenses for obtaining public data resources, and period expenses, specifically determined through cost surveys. The allowable profit is determined by multiplying the operating cost by the allowable profit rate. The allowable profit rate is determined by adding the average yield of the 10-year national bonds before the cost survey by no more than 6 percentage points, specifically clarified by the development and reform department with pricing authority in conjunction with the data management department. Taxes are implemented in accordance with relevant national regulations.According to the management department's regular evaluation of the highest permitted income of operating institutions and other situations, relevant policies are adjusted and improved in a timely manner. The evaluation period should not exceed 3 years in principle. If the actual income exceeds the highest permitted income in the previous period, the excess amount will be deducted when determining the highest permitted income for the next period, and any excess may be smoothed out over different periods.During the evaluation period, the authorized body guides the operating institution to adjust the fee standards reasonably according to the actual income and sales scale of the operating institution each year. If the actual income deviates by 10% or less from the highest allowable income in that year, the authorized body will guide the operating institution to adjust the specific fee standards; if it exceeds 10%, the authorized body will adjust the maximum fee standards. Fifth, strengthen guidance and supervision. The development and reform department and data management department, together with the authorized body, guide the operating institution to establish a sound internal price management system, separately account for and accurately record the operating costs and income of public data resource authorization operations, and timely adjust excessive pricing and fees that have strong social feedback; promote the operating institution to timely publicize the list of data products and service projects and related fee standards to the society; closely cooperate with relevant departments to investigate and deal with behaviors that do not comply with industry management regulations, do not follow government guided prices, price fraud, and failure to follow the required pricing labeling. By the end of March each year, the authorized body submits an annual operating report of the operating institution to the development and reform department and the data management department of the previous year. The report should include the overall operating conditions of the operating institution, the cost expenses, actual income and profits of authorized operations, sales scale and income of specific products and services, deviation from actual income to the highest allowable income, and adjustment of fee standards. All regions and relevant departments should attach great importance to the work related to the formation mechanism of public data resource authorization operation prices, strengthen overall coordination, enhance policy coordination, and promote the effective connection between price policies and industry management policies to form a joint force. If the local government is the authorized body, the department designated by it is responsible for the relevant work of the authorized body in this notice. For public enterprises conducting authorized operations, the industry supervisory department is responsible for the relevant work of the authorized body according to the provisions of this notice. Encourage regions or industries with better basic development of public data resources to actively explore, enrich application scenarios, and innovate products and services. When issuing price policies related to public data resource authorization operation, actively strengthen publicity, enhance policy interpretation, and respond promptly to social concerns. This notice shall come into effect on March 1, 2025. National Development and Reform Commission National Bureau of Statistics January 16, 2025 This article is adapted from the "National Development and Reform Commission", edited by Li Fo.