Taxpayers and businesses will be able to delay filing their income and business taxes until May 31 if a draft amendment to the Income Tax Law approved by the Cabinet yesterday becomes law.
In addition, taxpayers will be able to file their taxes online.
At present, individuals and businesses are required to file their income tax returns between Feb. 20 and March 31. The tax year runs from July to June.
The draft amendment will now be sent to the Legislative Yuan for further review.
Briefing the media at the Government Information Office yesterday after the Cabinet's weekly closed-door meeting, GIO Director-General Su Tzen-ping (蘇正平) said the change was meant to make the income tax process more convenient for both the tax administration and the public.
"In addition to carrying out searches and making inquiries, the public can download tax forms from the Internet and file tax returns online," Su said.
A controversial article allowing soldiers and elementary and junior high-school teachers to retain their tax-exempt status remains in the amendment.
The Cabinet had originally planned to nullify the article. It failed to do so, reportedly worried over losing votes in Saturday's elections.
In addition to the tax law change, the Cabinet yesterday approved six other draft amendments, including the hot springs law, patent law, trademark law, provisions management law, agricultural cooperative law and the mass dismissed labor protection law.
The draft proposal of the mass dismissed labor protection law would require a company employing 200 or more people to give at least 50 days' advance notice in writing to its employees, the Council of Labor Affairs and the appropriate trade unions of its intention to dismiss a third or more of its employees.
The regulation would also bar the "chairperson or the persons in actual charge of the company" from leaving the country if the company fails to pay a certain amount of employee wages, retirement contributions or insurance fees.
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