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Cabinet focuses on development plans

The Cabinet approved an amendment to the Statute Governing Public Welfare Lotteries (公益彩券發行條例) yesterday that stipulates 80 percent of the surplus money made from the sports lottery should be designated for hosting international sports competitions and developing physical activity.

The Sports Lottery, to be operated by Taipei Fubon Bank, is scheduled to begin on May 2.

"The bank estimates the surplus will amount to NT$1.04 billion [US$32.078 million] during the first year of the lottery," National Treasury Deputy Director-General Patrick Cheng (鄭裕博) said.

The amendment would require the other 20 percent to go to social welfare projects, Cheng told a press conference after the weekly Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet also passed an amendment to the Regulations on Offshore Development (離島建設條例) aimed at boosting the tourism industry in Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu.

If the amendment passes the legislature, residents of those islands would be allowed to open duty free shops if they get permission from their local governments.

The shop owners would not have to pay customs tariffs, commodity tax, tobacco and wine tax, and tobacco health welfare tax as long as the items were sold to non-residents of the islands, the amendment states.

Department of Customs Administration Director-General Kuei Hsian-nong (桂先農) said that the government had not estimated the possible loss of tax revenue from the proposal "because the amount would depend on the number of tourists."

"As long as the amendment can attract more tourists to the outlying islands, the amendment is worthy of our support, despite the loss in taxation," Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) said.

In related news, Sheih said the controversial issue of whether to allow casinos to be built on the outlaying islands was not included in the amendment because of a lack of public consensus.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved a proposal by the Ministry of Education yesterday to expand the subsidy programs for disadvantaged students.

Starting next year, the government will put in NT$1.46 billion over three years to help up to 76,100 vocational school students pay their tuition fees.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said that the education ministry had adopted a series of measures over the years aimed at helping provide such students with equal learning opportunities and the latest proposal was part of that effort.

The project includes programs on practical skills and courses catering to the needs of certain sectors, as well as supplementary schools.

Under the program, disadvantaged students in senior high schools or vocational schools who are in "practical skills" programs will be exempt from tuition fees.

Chang noted that the course will mainly target those students who are not keen on regular learning so that they can obtain useful skills.

The ministry plans to have the tuition fee exemption program cover first, second and third year high school students and to have the program help 54,000 students by 2010.

Students who take courses designed to cater to specific sectors, such as agriculture and precision machinery, will also be exempt from paying tuition fees.

Additional reporting by CNA
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