BEIJING -- Lawmakers on Monday started deliberating a draft law on the city maintenance and construction tax, with exemptions granted to imported goods.

The draft was submitted for the first reading at the ongoing bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature.

According to the draft law, those subject to the city maintenance and construction tax are the units and individuals who are obliged to pay value-added tax (VAT) and consumption tax.

The tax would not be collected on imported goods or added to the tax amount of VAT and consumption tax paid by overseas units or individuals when selling labor, services or intangible assets to the Chinese mainland.

The draft law states that the current tax rates would be kept unchanged, which is 7 percent for taxpayers in city areas, 5 percent for county and township areas, and 1 percent for other places.

From 2000 to 2018, China collected a total of 4.02 trillion yuan (about 573.2 billion U.S. dollars) in city maintenance and construction tax, said China's Finance Minister Liu Kun.