Five percent happiness
The Ministry of Finance recently published data showing that the income share of the top 5 percent is now almost 75 times that of the bottom 5 percent in Taiwan. Ironically, the data also showed that average workers, through their individual income taxes, make the biggest contribution to tax revenue, while real-estate and stock transactions enjoy tax-free benefits. This is really unfair to all low-income workers.
While it is important to improve the tax system, such as through a luxury tax, it is also important to look at how the low income rate for workers can be improved, how the income disparity between the rich and poor can be reduced and how average people can get the opportunity to buy a house.
The government does have a program whereby it will grant home loans of up to NT$5 million (US$172,000) to young people, to be paid back within 30 years. Through this program, interest-only payments can be made for up to three years.
However, the question is, who wants to be kept in this sort of limbo for three years? Who can face the risk of being unable to pay the loan off? The real problem is that most workers are operating in an unstable job market and receive a low income, so buying a home is not an option.
We put it to the government that taking care of workers is more important than implementing a luxury tax. Therefore, the first step is to change unfair conditions for employees. Not only should the government be obligated to care for workers, but employers must be too. Employers should give their employees adequate income and benefits. If employees work overtime, employers should pay overtime and follow labor laws on working hours.
The government has to ensure that laws protect these workers’ rights, otherwise the number of working poor will only increase. Until then, there may only be 5 percent of people feeling happiness.
TSAI HUNG FU
Taipei
Settle on a standard
I completely agree with Val Crawford and Peter Chang in their support of the Taiwanese government improving the quality of English in Taiwan (“Embracing English quality control,” April 18, page 8), particularly the bit in which the writers state, “if the government seeks to attract tourists ... it should aspire to provide a basic standard of English communication.”
Now here, with the use of the word “standard,” they’ve hit the nail on the head. English signs are “prevalent” in Taiwan, but there is certainly a “quality vs quantity” issue. In fact, I often wish there were fewer of these “helpful” Romanized signs. “中正路” is spelled “Jhongjheng Road” in -Kaohsiung, but “Zhongzheng Road” in Banqiao (板橋), which itself is often spelled “Banciao.”
The writers also take aim at Japan, stating that English signage is very lacking. When I lived in Tokyo, few complained about a dearth of English, because most foreigners could read hiragana. Which brings up a great point: Taiwan, a country (purportedly) desiring some form of independence could distinguish itself from China by using its great zhuyin phonetic system around town, giving the country a needed dose of individual style.
JACOB HENDERSON
Greater Kaohsiung
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, people have been asking if Taiwan is the next Ukraine. At a G7 meeting of national leaders in January, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Taiwan “could be the next Ukraine” if Chinese aggression is not checked. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that if Russia is not defeated, then “today, it’s Ukraine, tomorrow it can be Taiwan.” China does not like this rhetoric. Its diplomats ask people to stop saying “Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow.” However, the rhetoric and stated ambition of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Taiwan shows strong parallels with