The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday said Premier Liu Chao-shiuan's (劉兆玄) proposal to lower estate and gift tax, business income tax and commodity tax would exacerbate the nation's rich-poor gap.
“Liu’s pledge to cut these taxes will only help those who are already rich avoid paying taxes as much as possible. The policy will not help the middle class,” DPP legislative caucus whip Chang Hwa-kuan (張花冠) told a press conference yesterday morning.
TAX BURDEN
Chang said Liu should rather increase taxes for the rich and cut taxes for the poor, which would relieve their burden.
“I do not understand what he [Liu] is thinking. His policy is not helpful at all,” Chang said. “The three taxes that Liu is planning to lower will definitely widen the gap between the rich and the poor.”
DEFENSE
In defense of the proposal, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said yesterday that the Cabinet’s tax reforms were designed to keep capital in Taiwan and that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should first try to understand what the government is doing before it criticizes its proposals.
Chang said in an interview with the Central News Agency that lowering inheritance tax was a good idea because it would prevent businesspeople from transferring their capital and assets to foreign countries to avoid paying taxes.
He said that the DPP caucus perhaps did not understand the spirit of the proposal and that its criticism was absolutely groundless.
FORGIVENESS
Chang said that he could forgive the DPP for its ignorance but that the party should not mislead the public.
Before going public with their criticism, DPP legislators should make sure they understand the issues behind a proposal, he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS