I struggle to understand why the government would do this.

If you are employed by a company, which is the majority of us, then the employer should deal with it.

If you own your own company (whether a joint venture or a WFOE) then either employ a compnay to do your accounts/taxes or maybe in this case you might need to do them yourself. In which case you'd be best suited to pay someone.

What I'd like to see is the government to produce a fact sheet (in English at a minimum) that is given to foreign employees when they start work that details the following as a minimum:

1) What the relevant tax bands and allowances are plus how to calculate them (though there are tax calculators online like sjgrand)

2) What the employers obligations are in respect of ITIP and reporting of paying tax to the employee. This would include arranging the tax certificates for them

3) How to (easily) check whether the employer has actually been paying tax

In fact, in  my view, any foreigners employed in China should be given a fact sheet outlining the various rules and regulations, where to go for help if the employer breaks the rules, etc. This could be issued to us when our work permits are issued.

Thank you for your answer.

After I read the brochure from the government about IIT I am also quite a bit confused what they are exactly going for, but I will figure it out. I agree with your points and I will try to address the last one in the video.

For the first one there actually is a brochure about that topic which should cover your questions. You can get it at your local taxation bureau and it is in English.