http://www.cepd.gov.tw/ 行政院經濟建設委員會 RSS zh_TW 行政院經濟建設委員會 A. Population Projections for R.O.C (Taiwan): 2010-2060 1.Medium Variant (1) Total Population, Births, Deaths and Annual Increases (2) Population Annual Rates, Total Fertility Rate, Median Age and Life Expectancy at Birth (3)Population by Three-Stage Age Group, Dependency Ratio and Ageing Index (4) Male Population by Single Year of Age (5) Female Population by Single Year of Age 2.High Variant (1) Total Population, Births, Deaths and Annual Increases (2) Population Annual Rates, Total Fertility Rate, Median Age and Life Expectancy at Birth (3) Population by Three-Stage Age Group, Dependency Ratio and Ageing Index 3.Low Variant (1) Total Population, Births, Deaths and Annual Increases (2) Population Annual Rates, Total Fertility Rate, Median Age and Life Expectancy at Birth (3) Population by Three-Stage Age Group, Dependency Ratio and Ageing Index B. Appendixes 1. Total Population, Births, Deaths and Annual Increases: 1960-2009 2. Population Growth, Median Age and Life Expectancy at Birth: 1960-2009 3.Population by Three-Stage Age Group, Dependency Ratio and Ageing Index: 1961-20094. Total Fertility and Age-Specific Fertility Rates:1960-2009 5. Adjusted Year-end Population in 2009 (Base Year) 6. Assumption of Total Fertility and Age-Specific Fertility Rates, and Sex Ratio at Birth: 2010-2060 (Medium Variant) 7. Assumption of Mortality by Sex in Specific Years: 2010-2060 (Future Life Table) http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0001457 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Projections of the Population of Taiwan Area COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Population Projections for Taiwan: 2010-2060 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Statistics text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2012-09-01 2010-09-06 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-09-06 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0001457 950 I30 I60 Statistics,Population Projections, Future Life Table Taiwan Business Indicators in July 2010 Press Release Council for Economic Planning and Development August 27, 2010 In July 2010, Taiwan Business Indicators indicated that economy continued its mild growth. Among the indicators compiled by the Cabinet’s Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), the annualized six-month rate of change of leading index decreased 3.1 points, the trend-adjusted coincident index rose by 0.5% from the previous month, and the overall monitoring indicator flashed the "red" signal. 1. Leading Indicators: With revised data, the composite leading index stood at 117.6, down by 0.2% from Jun. Its annualized six-month rate of change declined by 3.1 points to 7.0%. Among the seven indicators making up the trend-adjusted index, index of producer's inventory for manufacturing, index of export orders, real monetary aggregates M1B, building permits, stock price index, and SEMI book-to-bill ratio had negative cyclical movements from previous month. Average monthly overtime in industry and services had positive cyclical movement from previous month. 2. Coincident Indicators: With revised data, the coincident index stood at 124.0, up by 1.0% from June. Its trend-adjusted index rose by 0.5% to 110.3, increasing for the seventeenth consecutive month. Among the seven indicators making up the trend-adjusted index, the nonagricultural employment, sales index of wholesale, retail, and food services, real customs-cleared exports, electric power consumption, and real imports of machineries and electrical equipments had positive cyclical movements from previous month. The industrial production index and the index of producer’s shipment for manufacturing had negative cyclical movements from previous month. 3. Lagging Indicators: With revised data, the lagging index stood at 118.5, up by 2.6% from June. Its trend-adjusted index rose by 2.0% to 105.3, increasing for the tenth consecutive month. All the six indicators making up the trend-adjusted index had positive cyclical movements from previous month. 4. The Monitoring Indicators: The total score increased 1 point to 38, changing the overall light signal from "yellow-red" to "red". Among the nine components, nonagricultural employment gained one point and changed its individual light signal from "yellow-red" to "red". The light signals for the rest of eight components remained unchanged. ~~ The next release is scheduled for September 27, 2010 ~~ http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014159 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Taiwan Business Indicators in July 2010 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Taiwan Business Indicators in July 2010 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Press Release text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-27 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-27 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014159 550 E51 I42 Taiwan Business Cycle Indicators,Press Release,Taiwan Business Indicators in July 2010, The goal of both economic development and environmental protection is to enhance the quality of life, and there is no conflict between the two. As Minister Stephen Shen of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) points out, the developmental experience of several advanced countries in recent years shows that so long as a country’s development is built on economic development under the precondition of environmental sustainability, the work of implementing green production by industries, promoting green consumption by the public, encouraging energy conservation by the people, cutting resource wastage, and reducing and recycling waste can be carried out to achieve a win-win situation for both the development of the economy and protection of the environment. The imperative need for a low-carbon life Mr Shen says that never before had an international meeting brought together the heads of so many major countries as the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen—and rightly so, since global warming is the most serious challenge that human society faces in the 21st century. Global warming, Shen notes, is the accumulated result of long-term dependence on the fossil-fuel production model following the industrial revolution. But the easy lifestyle that people habitually build on the foundation of fossil fuels, with mass production, mass consumption, and mass wastage, has created environmental pollution, ecological destruction, and a sharp decline in resources. The sustainable development of mankind now calls for a new lifestyle revolution, and low-carbon living has become an imperative need. Carbon emissions increased quickly as Taiwan’s manufacturing industries developed rapidly in years past, Shen points out, and for this reason energy conservation and carbon reduction is a key policy—and a major challenge--for the EPA at the present time. Over the past two years, happily, carbon emissions in Taiwan have shown a trend of delinkage from economic growth. Carbon dioxide emissions in 2008 were down 4.4% compared with 2007, marking the first negative growth in 20 years. Preliminary calculations put the reduction in 2009 at 5%. Expert meetings boost the efficiency of environmental assessment Environmental impact assessment is an indispensable tool for assuring a balance between economic development and environmental protection. The costs of economic development must be factored in, and environmental impact assessment is a kind of cost-benefit analysis aimed at determining the environmental risk of a development project and seeking a balance between environmental conservation and economic development. How to assess environmental risk is frequently a point of contention, however, with developers, environmental assessment committee members, related groups, and local governments all having their own opinions. This adds to the difficulty and complexity of environmental impact assessment review, affecting the time needed for and results of the review; the delays and uncertainties that face environmental impact assessment reviews in turn have an adverse impact on the assessment of investment risk by developers, and weakens their willingness to invest. To improve this situation, expert meetings were established in 2008. These meetings, comprised of experts recommended by related civic bodies, developers, government agencies, and local governments, engage in discussions of issues of contention in the process of environmental impact assessment review. Neutral discussion by experts of the values and benefits of the facts and inferences of the issues in dispute, Mr Shen stresses, assures that consensuses are not influenced or distorted by interest groups. The minister goes on to explain that the purposes of the expert meetings are to improve the efficiency and shorten the time of review, and to increase the amount of professional dialogue and discussion related to points of dispute in the review process so that review meetings can focus on clarifying the facts. The number of preliminary environmental assessment reviews has been effectively reduced in the more than a year since the EPA initiated the expert meeting mechanism, with four reviews being completed for eight environmental impact assessments. Mr Shen emphasizes, however, that expert meetings are held to assure fairness in the review of contentious issues, and that the approval or rejection of a development project is a “risk management” decision made by the competent agency in accordance with administrative or political procedures and with reference to the conclusions of expert meetings and the contents of the environmental impact assessment report. The EPA is now working to resolve disputes about determinative standards in second-stage environmental impact assessments. Under current regulations, development projects that have a major impact on the environment must undergo second-stage environmental impact assessment. The relevant specifications are not very clear, however, and to avoid disputes the EPA will review and revise the Implementation Rules for the Environmental Impact Assessment Act so as to clarify the definition of “major impact on the environment.” The EPA will also seek ways to shorten the first-stage environmental impact assessment process so that major projects can move on quickly to the second-stage environmental impact assessment. Innovative production models for zero wastage of resources The recovery and recycling of resources is a vital link in the sustainability of the environment. According to Mr Shen Taiwan has achieved excellent results in recycling, with the ratio of recycled waste rising from 38.7% in 2007 to 45.5% in 2009 and the amount of garbage collected per person per day declining from 0.583 kilograms in 2007 to 0.501 kg in 2009. Taiwan has become one of the foremost countries of the world in waste reduction and resource recycling, far ahead of Japan and the United States. Mr Shen goes on to point out that in addition to end-of-life resource recovery, the international trend in sustainable use of resources has developed to the “cradle to cradle” model of industrial production, marketing, and recovery. This, the minister says, is a model that Taiwan should emulate. In times past, products were manufactured with thought given only to their use by consumers and none to their recycling. After the concept of environmental protection arose in the 1980s, however, the idea of “resource recycling” came into prominence. The “recycling” of that time, though, was a kind of “down cycling; ” paper, for example, was recovered and made into recycled paper with a quality inferior to that of paper made from virgin pulp. Furthermore, the recycling process used large amounts of bleach and chemical processing, causing more consumption of resources. As end-of-life product responsibility is increased and as relevant laws and regulations become more complete, the trend of the future will be for products to incorporate not only “green design” at the beginning but also “green production,” “green marketing,” and finally “green consumption” and “green waste reduction.” This implies the formation of a complete cycle that encompasses raw materials, production materials, and production and marketing methods, all embodying the concept of sustainability and the most efficient use of the Earth’s resources. The EPA is going along with this international trend and working to promote green consumption by all the people, helping traditional mass marketing operators to transform into “green stores” that provide consumers with convenient “green procurement” channels. The EPA has also established specifications for an “environmental protection label” to encourage companies to engage in green production with the goal of achieving “zero waste” in Taiwan. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014082 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Taiwan has become one of the foremost countries in waste reduction COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Taiwan has become one of the foremost countries in waste reduction COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014082 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,Taiwan has become one of the foremost countries in waste reduction, In the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2010 issued in May, Taiwan’s place in the global competitiveness ranking has soared to 8th place, up from 23rd place last year. This is the fastest advance made by any of the 58 economies surveyed for the report. The credit for this achievement goes to huge improvements in Taiwan’s total score in four core indexes: Economic Performance, up from 27th place to 16th; Government Efficiency, up from 18th to 6th; Business Efficiency, up from 22nd to 3rd; and Infrastructure, up from 23rd to 17th. The IMD noted that Taiwan’s economy performed exceptionally well during the global economic crisis, and thatin addition to the boost provided by strong demand in Asia the government adopted a series of measures favorable to economic and trade development. The signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with mainland China, for example, not only helps business to reinforce its confidence but also brings it concrete benefits. Taiwan reaps benefits from booming Asian and Chinese demand According to the IMD’s analysis, in the past Taiwan depended mainly on the development of manufacturing; and since there were no direct links between the island and mainland China, economic and trade activities between the two sides had to be conducted through Hong Kong—and it was Hong Kong that reaped much of the benefit. With the turnover of political power in 2008, however, there was a major deregulation of economic and trade activity across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan gained access to the fruits of rapid development in China. This was one of the factors in Taiwan’s quick progress up the competitiveness rankings. Taiwan’s success in molding competitive advantage over the past year is also the result of major steps toward administrative deregulation and the learning of “thorough liberalization” from the world’s most competitive economies such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Singapore is an island nation with a population of only 4 million and Hong Kong is home to just 7 million people, yet they were able to come in first and second in the IMD’s 2010 rankings. The IMD survey was conducted at the time when Taiwan and mainland China were engaged in talks on the signing of ECFA, and optimism was growing about cross-strait economic and trade relations. Taiwan will be able to take advantage of its similarity in language with China and make full use of the Chinese market to develop into a globally competitive economy like Singapore and Hong Kong. The island can also grasp this opportunity to negotiate bilateral free trade agreements with Japan, Singapore, and other major economies, and to move toward the forging of alliances with major markets all over the world. Such proactive initiatives bring out the vigor and openness of Taiwan’s economic and trade policy, and they added not a little to the scores that the IMD gave to the island. Huge enhancement in government efficiency Of the four items used in the IMD appraisal—“Economic Performance,” “Government Efficiency,” “Business Efficiency,” and “Infrastructure”—Taiwan made the biggest improvements in Government Efficiency and Business Efficiency. Taiwan’s improvements in “Government Efficiency” were due to a greater transparency of policymaking by government agencies, higher quality of public functionaries, and a civil service system that matches up to the high efficiency of Singapore’s. In the field of “Public Finance,” which is one of the sub-factors under “Government Efficiency,” Taiwan’s ranking leaped to 3rd place in the world this year. The improvement was due largely to the proper operation of the Central Bank’s monetary policy and successful control of inflation, as well as a simplification of loan procedures and the use of incentives to bring about a large expansion of bank loans to companies. This helped enterprises to stay afloat in the financial tsunami. Taiwan made an even better showing in the sub-factor “Business Legislation,” with large improvements in the number of days needed to establish a new business, flexibility of the labor market, and restrictions on foreign investment. The island’s global ranking in “Business Legislation” leaped 14 places, helping to boost the overall “Government Efficiency” ranking to 6th place and raise the island’s ranking in the “International Investment” sub-factor, which is part of the “Economic Performance” item, by 11 places. Consumption vouchers enliven economy and overcome financial turmoil Taiwan also stood out in the “Domestic Economy” sub-factor, under “Economic Performance,” advancing 24 places up the ranking. A big reason for this was the government’s timely issuance of consumption vouchers in 2009, boosting consumer confidence and helping the island to weather the global financial turmoil safely. The success of the consumption voucher policy helped pull Taiwan’s ranking in the “International Trade” sub-factor up 20 places from 2009. In addition to boosting growth in domestic demand by stimulating domestic consumption and household spending, the effects of the consumption vouchers reached overseas raw materials and imported consumer goods markets, thereby driving growth in international trade. Outstanding business performance The enhancement of government efficiency and continued improvement in the business environment over the past year have not only brought on a resurgence of entrepreneurial spirit in the domestic private sector, but have also stimulated an increase in the establishment of new foreign-invested companies on the island. This trend is expected to continue and even intensify following the signing of ECFA, with major enterprises all over the world coming to invest and use the island as their main base for advancement into the Greater China and other Asian markets. Reform in the areas of liberalization, internationalization, and institutionalization has been realized on the policy level, and the public and business sectors alike are feeling the effects of innovation and change in economics, trade, and politics. IMD derives its national competitiveness rankings from surveys of business people and public sentiment all over the world, together with the objective analysis of data. The huge improvement in Taiwan’s competitiveness ranking this year is a concrete reflection of the confidence that overseas and domestic firms feel about Taiwan’s future investment potential. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014083 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Taiwan soars to 8th place in world competitiveness ranking COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Taiwan soars to 8th place in world competitiveness ranking COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014083 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,Taiwan soars to 8th place in world competitiveness ranking, The Directorate General of Customs（DGOC） has completed a partial revision of the Customs Tariff Act to provide for the implementation of the pre-arrival valuation examination system for import tariffs. This helps businesses to estimate the cost of imported goods and heightens the predictability of transactions while reducing disputes about dutiable value. Of course, it also facilitates customs clearance. Under the original regulations the commissions, processing fees, and royalty fees for imported goods have to be reported within the “dutiable value” item for use as a basis in calculating the customs tariff due. But there has often been a gap between the importer and Customs on the understanding of what should be included in the “dutiable value” item, leading to under declaration or omission of duty payment and disputes about the value estimated of imported goods. The DGOC points out that once the new system is implemented, importers will be able to apply to Customs for pre-arrival valuation examination and sign a contract allowing prior determination of items to be included as expenses within dutiable value for the calculation of import costs. This will enhance the predictability of commercial transactions. The contract will remain valid for three years so long as there is no change in import conditions, reducing the number of cases submitted to Customs for examination, alleviating the pressure of value checking, and upgrading customs clearance efficiency. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014084 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-New rules allow pre-arrival valuation examination for imports COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN New rules allow pre-arrival valuation examination for imports COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014084 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,New rules allow pre-arrival valuation examination for imports, Under a revision of Article 29-1 of the Regulations Governing the Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland China Area, passed recently by the Legislative Yuan, companies that operate marine and air transportation services between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are exempt from business and income taxes on transportation revenue and income earned on the opposite side of the Strait. To promote economic and trade exchanges across the Strait, the two sides signed the Cross-Strait Sea Transport Agreement in 2008 and the Supplementary Agreement on Cross-Strait Air Transport in 2009, providing for the avoidance of double taxation by exempting operators from income and business taxes on the other side of the Strait. The recent revision provides a legal basis for this reciprocal tax exemption, and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has accordingly announced Regulations Governing Tax Exemptions under the Cross-Strait Sea Transport Agreement and Supplementary Agreement on Cross-Strait Air Transport. The exemption will be retroactive for sea transport companies to December 15, 2008 and for air transport companies to June 25, 2009. Companies that have paid the taxes since the exemption became effective may apply for a refund within five years after the taxes were paid. The MOF notes that the implementation of the tax exemption will, for Taiwanese sea and air transport operators, resolve the problems of double taxation in the mainland and having capital tied up there without being able to remit it back to Taiwan; and this, in turn, will reduce their operating costs and strengthen their international competitiveness. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014085 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Tax exemption on cross-strait sea and air transport COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Tax exemption on cross-strait sea and air transport COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014085 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,Tax exemption on cross-strait sea and air transport, In the decade to come Taiwan will work vigorously to carry out financial and economic regulatory reform, reinforce compliance with international norms, and create an outstanding base for investment and operations. This commitment was made by Minister Christina Liu of the Council for Economic Planning and Development as she received, on behalf of the government, the 2010 Taiwan White Paper from the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei recently. The White Paper recognizes Taiwan’s achievements in improving relations across the Taiwan Strait, protecting intellectual property rights, and opening the government procurement market. It calls on Taiwan’s government to make use of the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) to expand economic and trade relations with other countries, and it expresses the wish that Taiwan and the United States will resume their dialogue on a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) as quickly as possible so as to strengthen bilateral economic relations. Liu responded to the White Paper by pointing out that following the signing of ECFA, foreigners investing in Taiwan will not only be able to make use of the island’s existing industrial advantages but will also be able to enjoy sustained development benefits. By cooperating with Taiwan, international enterprises will have access to the Chinese market under favorable terms. The government will work with companies, therefore, to take advantage of this opportunity to pursue development by all means possible before the opportunity slips away. The minister stressed that while ECFA will have a positive effect on Taiwan’s economy as a whole, it may also have an adverse impact on some industries and workers. However, she insisted, the government will not make these industries bear the burden of the ECFA opening all by themselves. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has already mapped out a 10-year NT$95 billion plan, running from 2010 through 2019, to help domestic industries, enterprises, and workers that suffer from the impact of ECFA to cope through transformation or readjustment. If necessary, the amount of the budget can be increased. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014086 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Reengineering a business and operations base COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Reengineering a business and operations base COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014086 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,Reengineering a business and operations base, The government has launched a new “Diamond Action Plan for Biotech Takeoff,” under which it will raise a NT$60 billion biotech venture capital fund to support the development of the biotechnology industry on Taiwan. To help biotech and new pharmaceutical companies avoid the pressure of funding during their startup phase, the government will set up a biotech venture capital fund to attract domestic and foreign companies to participate in investment and provide the funds needed for R&D work and personnel training; at the same time, tax incentives will be used to encourage biotech and new pharmaceutical companies to engage in R&D work. Forty percent of the funding for the biotech venture capital fund will come from the National Development Fund, and the other 60% will be put up by the private sector. The fund will be employed primarily for investment in the biotech industry, with the initial amount raised expected to top NT$10 billion. The willingness of private small and medium-sized venture capital companies to participate will be heightened by lowering the requirement for paid-in capital and expanding the scope of investment by venture capital funds from the original “Taiwan industries” to “enterprises beneficial to the development of the biotech industry in Taiwan.” The Executive Yuan indicates that along with this capital assistance, there are also tax incentives offered by the Biotech and New Pharmaceutical Development Act. Under this act, biotech and new pharmaceutical enterprises can offset 35% of their spending on R&D and manpower training from business income tax due over a period of five years. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014087 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-NT$60 billion fund to boost biotech development COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN NT$60 billion fund to boost biotech development COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014087 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,NT$60 billion fund to boost biotech development, Following the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and mainland China, Taiwan has become a new bright spot of the global economy and trade. To grasp the opportunities presented by this situation, the Executive Yuan is expanding its efforts to promote investment in Taiwan from around the world. Toward this end, it has set up a Global Investment Promotion Task Force, with Premier Wu Dun-yih personally directing overall planning of investment promotion matters. The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) will be responsible for overall planning of the Invest in Taiwan campaign. CEPD Minister Christina Liu will preside over the establishment of an Invest in Taiwan Planning and Promotion Committee, and will invite leaders of the private business sector to participate in its proceedings. Also, Economics Minister Shih Yen-Shiang will oversee a Joint Service Center for Global Investment Promotion, a single window that will be responsible for resolving all kinds of business operation and investment issues, and for playing an investment matchmaking role. The CEPD explains that investment promotion efforts will be focused on 32 investment targets, consisting of the i-Taiwan 12 Projects and the 6 major rising industries, 4 emerging intelligent industries, and 10 key service industries picked out by the government for prioritized development. Currently, ten of these – including the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project, urban renewal, and cuisine internationalization – have been selected as special focuses of this investment promotion drive. A series of domestic investment promotion meetings in northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan is scheduled to kick off in late August. This will be followed by an overseas investment promotion tour, starting in October, that will take in primary markets in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Europe, and America. In addition, the CEPD will work toward removing investment obstacles pinpointed by foreign chambers of commerce and the Chinese National Federation of Industries. This will include the easing of restrictions on labor flexibility and personnel movement, the loosening of controls on industry, the facilitation of participation in public works, and the firm implementation of IPR protection. The Invest in Taiwan Planning and Promotion Committee will follow up by calling together the related government agencies to liaise with businesses in working out ways to get rid of obstacles to investment. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014088 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Government launches post-ECFA investment promotion campaign COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Government launches post-ECFA investment promotion campaign COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014088 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,Government launches post-ECFA investment promotion campaign, The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) plans to expand the direct hiring of foreign workers and allow employers that hire foreigners for the first time to do so directly. This will save brokerage fees for employer and employee alike and facilitate improvement of the salary structure for foreign workers (while leaving their salaries subject to Taiwan’s minimum wage), thereby helping out with employers’ operating costs. The CLA notes that the Direct Hiring Service Center, which the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training set up in 2007, provides free help for employers who want to re-hire their original workers. In the future, this service will be expanded to first-time hiring through the online matchmaking system. The CLA goes on to explain that the board and lodging fees currently approved by countries that supply foreign workers are mostly lower than the actual board and lodging cost to employers, and that the difference is absorbed by the employers. The implementation of across-the-board direct hiring will maintain the minimum wage for foreign workers at its present level while reducing brokerage fees, making it easier for employers to lower their operating costs by persuading source countries to allow the deduction of more food and lodging costs from salaries. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014089 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-CLA pushes across-the-board direct hiring of foreign workers COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN CLA pushes across-the-board direct hiring of foreign workers COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014089 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,CLA pushes across-the-board direct hiring of foreign workers, The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) will carry out a “Green Jobs Demonstration Plan” aimed at ensuring that the government policy of promoting the green energy industry, energy conservation and carbon reduction will be concretely reflected in job creation. It hopes that this plan will serve to spur private-sector creation of a large volume of high-quality “green jobs,” giving the unemployed an opportunity to transform or upgrade into “green-collar workers,” and thus help solve Taiwan’s structural unemployment problems. The CEPD notes that 2010 is the “year of employment promotion” as well as the “year of energy conservation and carbon reduction” and that implementation of the “green jobs” concept can help realize these two core points of administration. Green jobs bring higher salaries than traditional work, along with a good and stable working environment; green jobs, therefore, can upgrade low-salary, low-technology, and low-education workers to the middle class and improve income distribution while helping to alleviate global warming and climate change. These attributes make green jobs the ideal tool for promoting job creation, industrial development, and environmental protection. The experience of American and European countries shows that the successful promotion of green jobs requires governments to carry out proactive planning and take the lead in creating demand for such jobs. The CEPD will formulate concrete measures for the development of green energy, green transportation, and green building in the near future, and will come up with one or two demonstration projects in which private enterprises can participate. This will encourage the creation of green-job opportunities in the private sector, and more “green jobs” projects will be mapped out in the future based on the outcome of the demonstration projects. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014090 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-“Green jobs” projects to boost job creation COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN “Green jobs” projects to boost job creation COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-08-11 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-08-11 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0014090 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.115,“Green jobs” projects to boost job creation, Title: Strategic Plan for National Spatial Development Editorial Office: Department of Urban and Housing Development Publisher: Council for Economic Planning and Development Telephone: 02-2316-5366 Brief Introduction: Land is the root of national development and people’s survival. Sustainable development of national land is vital for a country’s long-term peace and stability and for its people’s happiness and well-being. Therefore, the government has a responsibility to the people who have settled in Taiwan over the generations, to conduct national land planning and development in a way that satisfies everyone’s greatest aspiration in life by creating a suitable home and work environment. This third national spatial plan will present strategies for Taiwan’s spatial development, and will serve as guiding directions for long-term development planning by the central government, local governments, and all government agencies. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013981 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Strategic Plan for National Spatial Development COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Strategic Plan for National Spatial Development COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-19 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-19 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013981 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Monograph,Strategic Plan for National Spatial Development, May 2010 marked the second anniversary in office for the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou. It was just at this time—a key period in Taiwan’s economic development, when the island was facing huge challenges of transition—that Prof Christina Liu of the Department of Finance, National Taiwan University, was appointed minister to head the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD). Dr Liu holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago and has taught at a number of prominent international universities. She has served as global chief economic adviser to Japan’s Daiwa Institute of Research and chief economic adviser to the Chinatrust Financial Holding Company, among other positions; she also served two terms as legislator in the Legislative Yuan, taking a special interest in financial and economic policy, and has been recruited and consulted by the government as an expert on many occasions. Now, shouldering the heavy burden of steering Taiwan toward its new economic vision, she has set her sights not only on the goal of continued economic development but also on broad-based growth to be enjoyed by all of the island's people. Equitable economic development Dr Liu feels that to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the global industrial and economic readjustment that is taking place as the financial turmoil of the past two years gradually recedes, Taiwan should think about the positioning of its development for the next decade and engineer a comeback for its economic vitality. During an interview Dr Liu pointed out that in the past, Taiwan’s partial imbalance in the areas of supply and demand, industrial development, and cross-strait trade created problems in macroeconomic development. For a long time the island’s economic development depended too heavily on external demand, with an emphasis on export capacity; domestic demand improved slowly, creating few jobs. Some service sectors were especially lacking in innovation and were unable to integrate into the value chains of competitive industries, so that their value creation was limited. Wage growth for workers in these service sectors was unable to keep up with that of other industries, leading to a steady widening of the income gap. “Taiwan today is at a crossroads of transitional development,” Dr Liu stressed. She already has a plan in mind for development over the coming decade. The CEPD, she said, will set its hand to improving the economic structure, using an active policy direction to promote development of the service industry; at the same time, the core objectives in the setting of economic policy will be aimed at assisting the upgrading of industries, improvement of the industrial structure, and reinforcement of the economic constitution. Besides increasing jobs, stabilizing prices, and promoting a more equitable income distribution, economic administration will focus on liberalization and reform, molding a favorable investment environment, continued deregulation, and creation of an investment framework that conforms to the requirements of sustainable economic development. Dual emphasis on soft and hard power “Soft power is Taiwan’s development niche,” Dr Liu commented. “In the future, our economic development must emphasize the use of both soft and hard power.” The island’s private sector has a great deal of soft power, including its innovation, nimbleness, flexibility, and industriousness, all of which are basic driving force for the renewal of economic vitality. Other cornerstones on which Taiwan can base its economic upgrading are a solid industrial foundation, an open social atmosphere, and a safe living environment. One of the government’s crucial tasks will be to make use of these different kinds of soft power in its master framework for economic development to stimulate the transformation and upgrading of hard power, creating more industrial operation models that will provide more jobs and investment opportunities. “Innovative capability has always been one of Taiwan’s strongest competitive advantages,” Dr Liu continued. The government is currently implementing 32 projects—the “i-Taiwan 12 Projects,” “Ten Major Service Industries,” “Six Emerging Industries,” and “Four Major Intelligent Industries”—some of which are basic competitive conditions for strengthening the economy. These projects encompass both hardware and software infrastructure, and are essential to the creation of a favorable environment for the development of Taiwan’s economy. Another element is firing up of the private sector’s innovative strength, with the government picking out service industries with developmental advantage and international competitiveness to work with soft-power innovation development, using policy-led industrial transition and innovation to turn around the past model of economic growth that favored a rather small number of industries. The best way to bring the fruits of economic growth to all of society is to strengthen job creation in the private sector. To make use of the abundance of private capital and capacity, Dr Liu has proposed the concept of a public-private partnership (PPP) under which economic policy will guide private capital into infrastructure projects and the development of different industries, satisfying the huge capital needs of public investment. In addition, the investment of private capital in services can directly stimulate job creation; it can also stimulate the development of peripheral industries, thereby creating still more jobs. Expanding market coverage Among the early results of the negotiation of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and mainland China are an enhancement of Taiwan’s international visibility and the attraction of international attention to the island. The normalization of economic and trade relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is stirring the enthusiasm of more and more international investors, including institutional investors; it is improving the assessment and strengthening the understanding of Taiwan, and has also substantially boosted willingness to invest in the island. Furthermore, this switch in investment interest is also happening in mainland China, and many Taiwanese enterprises that have been developing their business there have been encouraged by this change in cross-strait economic relations to return and invest in Taiwan, where they can help to build a more ideal homeland for themselves. Dr Liu feels that Taiwan is the best choice for multinational enterprises that want to set up Asian regional headquarters or find alliance partners. Following the signing of ECFA, international enterprises that cooperate with Taiwan in deploying in the Asian market can enter the Chinese market under preferential conditions and be protected by an investment protection agreement. In addition, the better understanding that Taiwanese enterprises (relative to companies in other countries) have of China’s operating environment, and the comparative advantage provided by Taiwan’s 17% business income tax, can bring rich rewards to foreign companies that invest in Taiwan. Under the favorable conditions provided by ECFA, foreign investors in Taiwan not only will be able to draw on Taiwan’s existing industrial strengths, but also will enjoy a very promising business environment that enables them to secure more sustainable benefits. About Taiwan’s future, Dr Liu is highly optimistic. The national competitiveness rankings announced by IMD this year, she pointed out, indicate that thanks to appropriate policy guidance, the various aspects of the island’s economic performance over the past two years have gradually been winning out in East Asia. She believes that Taiwan should take advantage of this pivotal time to ponder its positioning in Asia and the world, with the aim of retaking the lead among the “four little tigers of Asia.” “Right now is the time when we have a chance to plan out how to achieve the vision of a golden decade,” she commented with deep confidence. The goal of this vision is not only to bring about a resurgence of Taiwan’s economic growth, but also to let all of the nation’s people share equally in the fruits of that growth. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013968 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Creating a golden decade Setting out Taiwan’s economic vision COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Creating a golden decade Setting out Taiwan’s economic vision COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013968 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Creating a golden decade Setting out Taiwan’s economic vision, The Legislative Yuan has passed a draft revision of the Company Law to strengthen Taiwan’s regulatory environment and upgrade its international competitiveness by further simplifying the procedures for company establishment. In the future, companies can be registered first and the necessary CPA-certified documents can then be submitted within 30 days. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) notes that Taiwan eliminated the minimum capital requirement for company establishment in 2009, making it easier to set up a company and conforming to the international trend. The new revision makes it even easier by changing the original requirement that CPA-certified registered-capitalization documents be submitted first to a requirement that the documents be submitted together with, or within 30 days of, the registration of a new company. To protect the interests of investors by strengthening corporate governance and increasing the transparency of directors’ behavior, the present revision stipulates that directors who have a material interest in topics being discussed at a board of directors meeting must, during that meeting, explain the important points of their material interest. If this is not done, resolutions reached during the meeting will be invalid. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013969 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Government simplifies company registration COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Government simplifies company registration COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013969 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Government simplifies company registration, The government hopes that the biotech and new pharmaceuticals industry can be developed into a locomotive force for economic transition, and the Executive Yuan has given its approval to a revision of Article 3 of the Act for the Development of Biotech and New Pharmaceuticals Industry that lowers the threshold of applicability for preferences for high-risk medical devices and encourages companies to become involved in the biotech industry. Under the current provisions of the Act for the Development of Biotech and New Pharmaceuticals Industry, high-risk medical devices must conform to the definition of “Class III medical devices that are implantable into the human body” to be eligible for shareholder investment tax credits and tax offsets of up to 35% for R&D spending. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) notes that high-risk medical devices must pass clinical testing, carry a high investment risk, and have a long development period. There are not many companies in Taiwan that engage in the development of Class III medical devices, and even fewer that are involved in medical devices that are implantable. Not very many, therefore, have been approved as high-risk medical device manufacturers since the Act for the Development of Biotech and New Pharmaceuticals Industry was implemented. In response to suggestions by manufacturers, and to encourage them to engage in the development of biomedical devices, the proposed revision deletes the requirement for medical devices to be “implantable”. The MOEA points out that the revision meets the practical needs of industry by expanding the list of applicable medical devices from the original 96 to 134. This will stimulate small and medium-sized precision machinery manufacturers with an advantage in high-level R&D to get involved in the biotech industry, and give further impetus to the development of high-risk medical devices. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013970 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Eligibility eased for high-risk medical device incentives COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Eligibility eased for high-risk medical device incentives COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013970 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Eligibility eased for high-risk medical device incentives, A partial revision of the General Rules of the Customs Import Tariff, passed recently by the Legislative Yuan, is designed to strengthen competitiveness and give Taiwan’s economic recovery a boost by cutting the import tariff on electrophoresis display devices from 2.5% to zero and making liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) tariff-free. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) indicates that, in line with the diversification of energy sources and the energy conservation and carbon reduction policy, the revision also reduces the tariff on public buses fueled by natural gas; in addition, it accords tariff-free status to parts used in the manufacturing of hybrid public buses, electric public buses, and vehicles for the disabled. The MOF goes on to explain that in order to rationalize the tariff structure for finished products and parts, the amendment also reduces tariffs on fresh potatoes, petroleum products, vehicle engines, and lenses for single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. This helps provide businesses with a reasonable operating profit by eliminating the problem of tariffs on parts being higher than those on finished products. To give the Chinese translations of descriptions of goods more consistency and accuracy, and to bring them into conformity with the specifications of the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized system, HS), the Directorate General of Customs has adjusted the tariff number framework for some commodities and revised their names to help Customs carry out tariff classification. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013971 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Customs duties lowered for optoelectronic, other products COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Customs duties lowered for optoelectronic, other products COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013971 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Customs duties lowered for optoelectronic, other products, The Executive Yuan has approved revisions of the Commodity Tax Act and Vehicle License Tax Act to boost the incentive for people to buy electric vehicles (EVs) and support the EV industry by offering a three-year commodity tax and vehicle license tax exemption for such vehicles. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) points out that EVs already enjoy a 50% commodity tax reduction. The Commodity Tax Act revision will boost the cut to 100% for three years in order to further stimulate the development of green industries and promote the use of EVs that rely completely on batteries for their power, as well as to encourage businesses to become involved in the high-efficiency, low-pollution EV industry or to bring in related vehicle models. The tax exemption will apply to domestically produced and imported EVs alike. The revision of the Vehicle License Tax Act will authorize local governments to themselves decide on granting the license tax exemption for EVs. The period of exemption will be three years. Also, since the Commodity Tax Act and Vehicle License Tax Act currently base tax calculation only on total cylinder displacement volume, and although the MOF has formulated a “Table of Electric Car Horsepower and Cylinder Displacement Equivalence,” the revised laws add a license tax rate schedule for EVs so as to provide a clear legal foundation for tax collection based on horsepower. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013972 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Tax exemptions offered for electric vehicles COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Tax exemptions offered for electric vehicles COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013972 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Tax exemptions offered for electric vehicles, Taipei’s Songshan Airport took a giant step toward becoming a “capital-city business airport” on June 14 with the inauguration of flights to Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport. Songshan will continue on this path with similar direct flight service to the capital cities of Japan and South Korea, forming a “Northeast Asian Golden Flight-route Circuit” and stimulating the growth of business travel. Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) notes that according to the air transportation agreement between Taiwan and China, each side will operate two daily round-trip flights between Songshan and Hongqiao, for a weekly total of 28 flights. To meet the needs of international business travelers, the CAA has also reached an agreement for direct flights between Songshan and Tokyo’s Haneda Airport; service on this route is expected to get under way at the end of October, with daily flights operated by each side. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is now engaged in talks aimed at inaugurating a similar service between Songshan and Gimpo Airport in Seoul. According to the CAA, in the future Songshan will be positioned as a small but refined “capital-city business airport,” serving as a hub for domestic, regional, and cross-strait flight routes in a division-of-labor with Taoyuan International Airport. In line with the transformation of Songshan into a “capital-city business airport,” the MOTC is carrying out a rejuvenation project, one part of which is the normalization of international commercial flights. The airport will also develop a “business travel area” where private aircraft can park, with its own independent customs, immigration, and safety-inspection services for the convenience of international business travelers. Songshan will also gradually open up the carrying of air cargo in the bellies of passenger aircraft with the aim of providing designated international cargo services for high-value, time-sensitive goods. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013973 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Songshan Airport expands international flight service COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Songshan Airport expands international flight service COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013973 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Songshan Airport expands international flight service, In response to the continuous growth in cargo shipping across the Taiwan Strait, the Keelung, Kaohsiung, and Taichung Free Trade Zones have signed letters of intent for cooperation with the Fuzhou and Haicang Free Trade Port Areas, and Xiangyu Free Trade Zone in mainland China, and the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau has signed a similar agreement with the Xiamen Port Authority, with the aim of creating a win-win situation and reciprocal benefits for both sides of the Strait. The coastal area of Fujian has a dense population of Taiwanese enterprises, and the volume of cargo being shipped between Taiwan and that area is growing constantly as economic ties between the two sides of the Strait normalize. Of the 8.6 million TEU of containers handled by Kaohsiung Harbor in 2009, for example, 975,000, or about 11.4%, were shipped directly to or from China. Cross-strait cargo also accounted for about 10% of the total volume of cargo handled by the other ports. The objective of the new letters of intent is to build up cooperative partnership relations between harbors and free trade zones on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, starting with the establishment of contact windows and the two-way exchange of port logistics information, based on strategic competition-cooperation planning for harbor development. This will help companies make the best use of the goods processing and transshipment functions of Taiwan’s free trade zones to add value to their products, while allowing the island’s free trade zones to promote investment at the same time. Shippers on the two sides of the Strait will also be able to provide better services to their customers by using this platform to negotiate the establishment of navigation destinations and the expansion of shipping lines. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013974 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-New milestone for port cooperation in cross-strait trade COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN New milestone for port cooperation in cross-strait trade COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013974 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,New milestone for port cooperation in cross-strait trade, The Public Construction Commission (PCC) is encouraging government agencies and state-owned enterprises to provide procurement information in English by promoting the translation of tender documentation into English. This will expand the participation of international companies in Taiwan’s government procurement market and thus introduce new technology, bring in advanced management methods, and enhance procurement quality. Most European and American companies that now participate in Taiwan’s government procurement projects concentrate on commodities trade. In addition to encouraging government agencies to adopt the most advantageous tenders, the PCC is moving to boost foreign participation in infrastructure and service procurement by providing English tender documentation. The PCC notes that procurement entity may provide Chinese-language tender documentation under the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) rules, but that the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), CPC Corporation, Taiwan (CPC) and other state-owned enterprises already provide bidding instructions and contract provisions in English for international tender projects. The Taipei City Government, too, provides English-language tender documentation for international bidders. To help foreign companies participate in Taiwan’s government procurement projects, the PCC has requested that agencies carrying out procurement projects to which the GPA applies attach English-language abstracts of the tender information. The PCC has also posted a glossary of English translations of terms related to the Government Procurement Act on its website, and has asked the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei to provide English bidding instructions, contract terms, and other tender documentation for reference. The PCC will also compile English-language tender documentation from Taipower, CPC, and other major procuring organizations for other agencies as a reference in their own procurement. To avoid contract-performance disputes that might arise between agencies and companies because of differences of interpretation of tender documentation and contracts, the Chinese version shall prevail unless otherwise stipulated in the contract. http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0013975 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN-Tender documentation in English promoted COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Tender documentation in English promoted COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN Series text COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 英文 2300-01-01 2010-07-16 COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE YUAN 2010-07-16 329000000G COUNCIL FOR ECONOMIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT EXEC CEPD_0013975 910 EF3 I52 Publications,Series,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter,Taiwan New Economy Newsletter No.114,Tender documentation in English promoted, http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0014240 Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT