Social welfare foundations that run charity enterprises yesterday complained about high rent and royalties paid to the Taipei City Government, urging the city government to learn from New Taipei City (新北市), which has canceled such rents.
New Taipei City offers rent-free locations for charity enterprises. The 14 enterprises sponsored by the Taipei City Government, on the other hand, are required to pay monthly rent of up to NT$460,000 to the city, which has contributed to their poor financial situation, the groups said.
carwash
Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation director Lai Kuang-Lan (賴光蘭) said the monthly rent for its car-wash shop was more than NT$100,000, which accounted for about 10 percent of its revenue, while the monthly salary of physically disabled workers was between NT$5,000 and NT$9,000.
“The rent and royalties are a heavy burden for non-profit groups that run charity enterprises and it would help us if the city government reduced, or even canceled, the rental fee,” she told a press conference at Taipei City Council.
Eden Social Welfare Foundation manager Yang Chi-an (楊智安) said the gas station the foundation ran under the Jianguo Overpass had suffered a deficit in the past four years and that about 50 disabled workers at the station were unable to get a raise because of its poor finances.
‘stingy’
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) called the city government “stingy” for collecting rent and royalties from charities and urged Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to examine the city’s social welfare policies.
“New Taipei City offers rental-free service to charity enterprises and with so many resources, Taipei City should be able to do that as well. Mayor Hau should stop being such a stingy landlord,” she said.
Yeh Hsiu-shan (葉琇珊), a division chief at Taipei City’s Department of Labor Affairs, said the New Taipei City Government had purchased land for non-profit groups to run factories and shops, and therefore did not take rent from them.
Such businesses in Taipei City are required to pay rent and royalties in accordance with the regulations on the use of city-owned land, she said, adding that the city government would discuss the matter with its finance department and explore the possibility of revising the regulations to reduce or cancel the rents.
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