Foreign residents in Taiwan, excluding people from China, Hong Kong and Macau, will be able to file personal income taxes online this year to avoid the hassle of visiting local tax offices, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday.
The Taipei National Tax Administration said that foreigners staying in Taiwan for more than 183 days in a tax year are now allowed to file their taxes electronically using their Alien Resident Certificate and passport numbers, beginning on May 1.
“As part of the government’s efforts to promote electronic filing services, foreign taxpayers may enjoy the same right as Taiwanese nationals to file their income taxes via the Internet next month,” said Joanne Ling (凌忠嫄), head of the tax agency.
Ling called on expats in Taiwan to take advantage of the e-filing service to file tax returns this year, saying paperless filing is not only environmentally friendly, but also time-efficient.
Qualified foreign taxpayers should go to their local tax offices to get an electronic file of their tax, income and immigration information, which they can then import to the tax e-filing system via computer, Ling said.
After filing income taxes online successfully, taxpayers will get immediate verification from the system, which they will be able to print out as a receipt, she said.
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