The legislature yesterday passed an amendment to the Motion Picture Law (電影法) to extend tax breaks for businesses investing in film productions for another five years to 2014.
Businesses offering funds to film producers are entitled to receive 20 percent tax deductions for five years on their enterprise income tax based on the prices of the shares they possess for more than three years, but the tax break clause was scheduled to expire next month.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sun Ta-chien (孫大千), the sponsor of the bill, said the extension would give a boost to the film industry as its biggest problem has been a lack of funds.
The amended law also stipulated that the Government Information Office — the film industry’s regulatory agency — should coordinate with other departments of the central and local governments to help producers with problems they might encounter while shooting.
An amendment to the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Law (傳染病防治法) also passed the legislature to create a national fund to pay for development and procurement of vaccines.
Centers for Disease Control Director Steve Kuo (郭旭崧) had said the government planned to set up a NT$2 billion (US$61.5 million) fund to ensure a stable source of funding, four times higher than the amount covered by the annual government budget, which he said was insufficient.
Meanwhile, the legislature also passed an amendment to the Medical Treatment Law (醫療法) that would allow nonprofit foundations to introduce heavy-ion therapy to Taiwan.
In October, Evergreen Group chairman Chang Yung-fa (張榮發) denounced the government for rejecting his foundation’s proposal to build a cancer center equipped with a heavy-ion treatment facility, and said he had abandoned the project.
His complaint drew the attention of Minister of Health Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) and lawmakers who then initiated a move to amend the regulation.
The law would allow nonprofits with plans to establish clinical treatment centers with a certain amount of paid-in capital to purchase dangerous medical devices from abroad as long as they obtain import permits from the department.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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