How far are we from making basic funeral services free? How far is the public good of free funeral services?
Release Date:
2021-03-06
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Abstract
According to media reports, seven basic funeral services have achieved full coverage across all registered residents in Guangdong Province. From 2015 through the end of 2018, Guangdong provided these basic funeral services free of charge for 1.32 million cases, with total fee waivers amounting to RMB 1.58 billion. The province’s “people‑benefiting funeral services” program ranks among the top nationwide.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs has proposed that, nationwide, a comprehensive system for guaranteeing basic funeral services will be established in all cremation zones, essentially achieving equal access to fundamental public funeral services. Under this framework, the government will cover the costs of basic funeral services for the general public, thereby promoting equity in funeral service provision.
Today, enhancing the quality of public services and restoring their public‑good character has become a shared consensus between the government and society. Breaking the entrenched pattern of excessive profits in the funeral industry and returning to its fundamental public‑service mission is imperative. In my view, not only should basic funeral services—such as body disinfection, transportation, and cremation—be included within the scope of free public services, but the pricing of optional funeral services, including cemetery plots, urns, wreaths, and memorial halls, should also be subject to regulation. Government departments, particularly those responsible for civil affairs, must ensure that exorbitantly priced cemeteries do not impose an unbearable burden on the public.
In fact, funeral services that fall outside the scope of basic funeral provisions are rife with excessive profiteering. However, due to the unique characteristics of the funeral industry, its natural monopoly cannot be dismantled in the short term. Providing essential funeral services free of charge to the public demonstrates the government’s sense of responsibility. Yet, it is precisely the prices of non‑basic offerings—such as memorial halls, urns, and burial plots—that account for the bulk of this exorbitant profiteering. Unless this major source of undue profit is brought under proper control, the public, still burdened by such high costs, will continue to feel that they cannot afford to die or to grieve.
To safeguard the public’s last dignity, the government should earnestly fulfill its regulatory duties, enhance transparency in the costs of non‑essential funeral products, improve mechanisms for overseeing funeral service pricing, and establish a rational pricing framework for funeral services. If the profit‑driven chain within the funeral industry were dismantled and the public‑service nature of funeral products restored, such measures would be even more widely welcomed than having the government foot the bill for basic funeral services.
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