The government is spending NT$1.3 billion (US$44.1 million) per year to rent offices and official residences for its diplomatic staff and their families, according to a report released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In the report to the legislature, the ministry said it planned to decrease rental expenditures by setting aside funds to build one or two overseas offices and residences per year.
The ministry also has plans to buy properties if opportunities arise.
115 OFFICES
Currently, Taiwan has 115 overseas offices, not including those in Hong Kong and Macao. The majority of the offices and official residences are rented, and rental costs have been increasing over the years.
Owning permanent offices abroad can save taxpayers a substantial amount of money, according to the report, which cited the example of Taiwan’s representative office in New York, which was purchased in 2005 for NT$1.72 billion.
The ministry claims the purchase has saved the government NT$70.8 million annually.
The ministry said Taiwan planned to buy or build its own offices and official residences in 13 foreign countries and cities, including Jordan, Canada, Thailand, South Korea, Geneva, Switzerland, and Chicago.
Its construction project in Jordan, estimated to cost NT$69 million, is already half finished. The ministry also plans to use NT$230 million to acquire a permanent office in Chicago, but the plan will not be carried out until next year because of budget constraints.
WTO OFFICE
The ministry has also set aside NT$790 million for its representative office to the WTO in Geneva to save NT$62 million on annual rents.
Other offices in high-priced rental markets that the government is eying for conversion include those in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Brisbane, the UK, France and Singapore.
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