A government unit that manages public shareholding has formulated regulations to cap monthly salaries for heads of government-owned or partially state-funded financial institutions at NT$320,000.
The cap was calculated by doubling the monthly salary of NT$160,000 received by Susan Chang (張秀蓮), chairwoman of the government-owned Taiwan Financial Holding Co, the nation’s largest financial services provider.
The Executive Yuan’s Government Shareholding Management and Supervisory Unit passed the regulations on Wednesday after it was revealed that Taiwan Asset Management Corp (Tamco) chairman Chen Song-chu (陳松柱), allegedly lined his own pockets with company profits.
Chen was paid NT$400,000 a month, with an additional NT$150,000 in monthly public relations fees, far more than the NT$180,000 received by Minister of Finance Lee Sush-der (李述德), local media reports said.
The Tamco chairman reportedly distributed about NT$80 million (US$2.5 million) in corporate profits to 59 senior executives, including NT$20 million for himself and NT$10 million for a former company president.
The new regulations will apply to the chairmen and presidents of 108 government-owned or partially state-funded enterprises who are appointed or recommended for the position by the Ministry of Finance.
According to the regulations, those who are appointed or recommended by the ministry to serve as chairmen or presidents cannot receive a monthly salary that is more than double that of their counterparts in other state-run companies of about the same size, the same level and in the same field.
Salaries in excess of that will be taken into the national coffers or recouped by the companies, the regulations said.
Total variable income, such as performance rewards and other bonuses, for company heads should not exceed the total fixed income, the new regulations said.
In addition, there will be a cap of NT$200,000 on total performance bonuses, they said.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet yesterday approved an affordable housing project near the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT system’s Linkou (林口) station in Taipei County, with the price expected to be as low as NT$150,000 (US$4,695) per ping, an official said yesterday.
Lin Tsyr-ling (林慈玲), a deputy minister with the Ministry of the Interior, said the government might build more affordable housing on the outskirts of Taipei if the project is a success.
Construction is expected to be completed by 2013 to coincide with the opening of the MRT line. Under the proposal, the government will purchase 226.78 hectares of land from private land owners to build 4,000 units of affordable housing in the area where elementary and junior high schools and industry zones will be built.
Lin said the affordable houses would be restricted to certain income levels.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS