REVIEW REQUIRED:The ministry outlined plans for dividend income taxes, where investors could choose a 26% flat rate tax after a deduction or a progressive scheme

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 02, 2017
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Finance yesterday proposed raising corporate income tax rates and

cutting personal income tax rates in a bid to make the nation’s tax burdens more equitably distributed without losing global competitiveness.

Minister of Finance Sheu Yu-jer (許虞哲) unveiled the reform package, which seeks to address concerns that the tax system disadvantages salaried people, small and medium-sized enterprises and skilled workers.

“We suggest increasing corporate income tax rates from 17 percent to 20 percent to support cuts on corporations’ retained earnings and higher tax deductions for middle and low-income earners,” Sheu told a news conference.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 1, 2017

TAIPEI – The Taipei Universiade mascot Bravo reported to the employment service

center on Friday after the end of the sports event rendered it jobless, according to the mascot’s official Facebook page.
The popular bear, however, will probably not stay that way for long.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said that the city government is discussing whether to hire Bravo as a mascot for the city. According ot the mayor, Bravo might replace other cartoon advocates of Taipei to become the city’s sole mascot.

The city hall might face competitions from companies looking for star power. The convenience store Uni President 7-11 and motorcycle maker Aeon have both expressed interest in having Bravo in their PR team. There are even talks of a movie deal.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/08/31

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) The best way to prevent personal email information from being

breached by spambots, which harvest e-mail addresses from the Internet to build mailing lists for unsolicited emails, is to change your passwords regularly, an anti-virus software company executive said Thursday.

“Another step would be to enable a two-step verification feature for added security,” Chien Sheng-tsai (簡勝財), a senior consultant at online security software developer Trend Micro Inc., was quoted as saying in an Apple Daily report.

Two-step verification (also known as two-factor authentication) is currently provided by several web-based email services, including Yahoo and Google, where users are asked to sign in to their e-mail account using a password and a subsequent code that is sent via cellphone message.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-08-31

President Tsai Ing-wen has pledged to continue to increase investment in defense.

Tsai was speaking on Thursday while awarding medals to outstanding service personnel ahead of Armed Forces Day on Sunday.

Tsai said the nation’s armed forces have remained vigilant towards outside threats even during peacetime. She said only when the armed forces are prepared can a country enjoy peace and continue to advance its development.

Tsai said, “We will continue to increase investment in military defense. This month, the Cabinet has passed the central government’s budget for next year. The budget for military defense next year is higher than for this year. This goes to show the government’s support for national defense and strengthening military power.”

President Tsai said most civilians do not realize the sacrifices and contribution that military personnel make. However she said it is because of their readiness that members of the public are able to live their lives free from worry.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan won a record 26 gold medals

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/08/31
By: Taiwan News

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – All of the Taiwanese athletes, who have won medals during

Universiade, will share an estimated total prize of NT$89.7 million (US$3.04 million) after the sports event is concluded, according to the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade was wrapped up Wednesday with Taiwan as a host country coming in third on the medal table, after Japan in first and South Korea in second place.

Taiwan’s MOE Sports Administration said the home team had done such an amazing job with its dedication to winning 26 gold, 34 silver, and 30 bronze medals.

Under MOE regulations, Taiwanese medal winners are guaranteed an additional 50 percent of the standard award if Taiwan is the host of the sports event.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/08/31
By: Lu Hsin-hui and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) As China continues its military buildup, it has demonstrated that it has the ability to seize air supremacy over areas west of the “first island chain” and is gradually gaining the ability to take control of the Taiwan Strait, according to report Thursday by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).

The Chinese military’s joint intelligence, monitoring and reconnaissance capability currently covers areas west of the “second island chain” in the Western Pacific, which is enough to support all sorts of military actions within the region, the MND said in a five-year military development plan submitted to the Legislature.

The report said Chinese bombers and fighter jets have been crossing the “first island chain” into the Western Pacific regularly, which constitutes a direct challenge to the U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region and demonstrates China’s ability to achieve air supremacy in areas west of the island chain.    [FULL  STORY]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:Passage of the infrastructure plan’s budget was a birthday gift to the president, bought at the expense of the nation’s future, the KMT deputy said

Taipei Times
Date; Sep 01, 2017
By: Chen Yu-fu, Tseng Wei-chen and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer

Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡

英文) of leading a “fascist” regime as he visited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers participating in a hunger strike to show his support.

KMT legislators Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), Alex Fai (費鴻泰) and William Tseng (曾銘宗) have been fasting since Tuesday night to protest the administration’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.

The legislature passed the plan’s first-phase budget, slated to be spent in the next four years, at 1am yesterday.

Ma said that Lai, Fai and Tseng launched a 50-hour hunger strike to protest the unconstitutional methods the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) used to pass the budget bill.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: September 1, 2017
By: The China Post

In the day after the Universiade closing ceremony, the international delegations were

packing up and leaving the Athletes’ Village for home. Meanwhile, the host team athletes were on a different journey. They were traveling along the streets of Taipei in the “Taiwan Heroes Parade,” waving to the tens of thousands who had gathered to cheer them on.

Over the past two weeks, members of the international delegations had built a bond with the staff and volunteers helping them at the Athletes’ Village and competition venues. Scenes of sad good-byes could be seen throughout the village. The Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee said that most of the delegations have already left Taiwan. The Athletes’ Village, as well as the Main Press Center, will close on Friday.    [FULL  STORY]

If Taiwan-China trade begins to go the way of cross-Strait tourism, it’s likely that the relationship is headed for even more difficult times, argues Adam Hatch.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/08/31
By: Adam Hatch

In July this year I finished my Master’s degree at National Chengchi University in the

International Master’s of Asia-Pacific Studies program (IMAS). The final thrust of my studies was a thesis, my topic being Chinese tourism in Taiwan and its relationship to China-Taiwan relations as a whole. I researched the subject for more than six months and interviewed a range of experts, including general managers of hotels, tourism sector association heads, academics, and expatriate business people.

Chinese tourism in Taiwan is a touchy subject and the conversation is clouded by poorly sourced information and prejudiced thinking. This thesis mostly covers 2015 to the present, but it also includes some historical analysis and a few predictions and policy recommendations. While its scope is modest, the findings are a useful entry into the discussion about Chinese tourism in Taiwan.    [FULL  STORY]

Indigenous music and Taiwanese culture play main roles at ceremony

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/08/300
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan bid farewell to the 12 days of the Taipei 2017 Summer

Universiade with a dazzling show full of percussion music and exotic color Wednesday evening.

The celebration started out to the beat of drum music with mixed indigenous Taiwanese and African flavors paying tribute to farmers and fishermen for their hard work followed by rock music in the language of Taiwan’s Hakka minority.

Rock band Chairman served up a mix of Taiwanese songs while they were joined on stage by giants in colorful costumes.

Following an hour of music, there was one minute of fireworks with the traditional entrance of the athletes behind their national flag as Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je, his wife, and Vice President Chen Chien-jen looked on and waved. The Argentine delegation wore wigs in the Taiwanese national colors and actually brought in the official Taiwanese flag, while Team Canada unfurled a banner reading “Thank you, Taipei” in Mandarin Chinese.    [FULL  STORY]