Religious leaders representing Buddhism, Taoism and I-Kuan Tao yesterday urged the government to pass a proposed religious groups act so that the nation’s various religious traditions and practices can be regulated by the legal system.
“In the past, the government’s attitude toward religion was to manage, rather than providing assistance. It also failed to value our contributions to society until recently … Religious groups actually need the government to assist us in becoming legal. Religion cannot exist outside the law,” Buddhist Master Ching Yao (淨耀) from the Puxian Cihai Juvenile House said at a public hearing organized by Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) on the draft act proposed by the two lawmakers.
The existing law that governs religious groups is the Act of Temple Supervision (監督寺廟條例), which was put into effect in 1929 and concerns only Buddhism and Taoism.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Today, there are 27 religions officially registered in Taiwan and religious devotees make up more than half the population, said Fan Kuo-kuang (范國廣), a former civil servant at the Ministry of the Interior.
Since 2000, the Executive Yuan has made four attempts to introduce new legislation on religions to the Legislative Yuan, but failed each time, National Religion Development Foundation chairman Chu Wu-hsien (朱武獻) said.
The ministry has also drafted a religious group act that is expected to be sent to the Executive Yuan for approval by the end of next month, Department of Civil Affairs Deputy Director Lin Ching-chi (林清淇) said.
Chu said the versions of the act drafted by the ministry and the two legislators were largely the same.
“The main point is to treat religious groups as juristic persons so that we can own properties and open bank accounts,” he said.
Under the proposed draft, religious organizations qualify for an exemption from income tax, and are not required to pay house or land value taxes for their properties, Fan said.
Donations to religious organizations are also exempt from inheritance, gift and land value increment taxes, Fan added.
Another benefit granted by the proposed law is that religious organizations would be allowed to purchase state-owned land that has been used for religious activities for five years or longer, Chu said.
Meanwhile, Master Ching Yao and the Taiwan Taoism Federation called for legal status for shen tan (神壇), places of worship located in private homes or buildings.
Others voiced concerns over whether the proposed legislation would be exploited for profit, with I-Kuan Tao Federation consultant Liu En-ting (劉恩廷) calling for certification of religious workers.
Taipei Taoism Association director Lin Shui-sheng (林水勝) agreed, saying: “Religious workers are professionals. Their job is to have a positive influence on people’s lives by following religious teachings and doctrines. There should be strict guidelines on how a religious worker can be approved or certified. Otherwise, the law will be harmful in the wrong hands.”
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard