DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
Publicizing the second portion of his financial policy white paper, on industrial and trade policy, Chen said that small and medium enterprises are the main force behind Taiwan's economic power, but that the government has been partial to big business conglomerates and syndicates.
"Although over 97 percent of Taiwanese enterprises in 1998 are small or medium enterprises, they have not been properly rewarded by the government during the past several decades," Chen said.
"The reason is that the KMT only pays attention to benefit big business leaders while the government formulates financial and industrial policies," Chen said.
Chen claimed that the KMT allowed its party-run businesses to build connections with big enterprises, and then manipulated the government policymaking process to "rob" huge profits from other, smaller businesses that have abided by Taiwan's laws and regulations.
"We will lead a fair investigation into the current situation if I am elected as the new president," Chen said.
In the white paper, Chen advocates dropping all restrictions preventing tax reductions for small or medium sized enterprises and proposes drawing up preferential measures to reward such enterprises for their contributions to Taiwan's economic development.
Other concrete measures for his new government would include:
1) A government-led investigation into slanted policies that benefit only a few enterprises and inhibit free market competition, and to change them to create a fairer marketplace.
2) A review of all tax laws, and drawing up new tax reduction measures for small and medium sized enterprises.
3) Improving the ability of businesses to gather commercial information from the international community, and training more people to participate in international trade.
4) Speeding up the liberalization and internationalization of Taiwan's financial market to attract more foreign funds to invest in Taiwanese businesses.
5) Establish fairer evaluation measures to allow small and medium enterprises to participate in bids for public construction.
6) Setting up a small and medium enterprise industrial park in all of Taiwan's main cities.
Elaborating on the terms of his main campaign platform -- what he calls the "new middle way" -- Chen also said that Taiwan should establish economic "TMD" measures -- technology, management and development -- to maintain stable economic growth.
"We need to move Taiwan toward high technology, and to efficiently carry out management. Then we can ensure Taiwan's economic development," Chen said.
Chen also stressed that the DPP was not, as some critics have charged, "anti-business," but was opposed to the mixing of business and politics.
Chen said the DPP would devote itself to breaking up all monopolies and other unfair competition.
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