Minister of Transportation and Communication Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said that the nation would enhance its inspection of the tax status of shops frequently visited by Chinese tourists, adding that Taiwan has gained about NT$1 billion (US$33.38 million) in tax revenue following random checks.
The finding was revealed when Yeh was interviewed by radio show host Chen Fong-hsin (陳鳳馨) in her morning show, in which he was asked about the problems generated by the low-priced tour groups from China.
Yeh said that the number of Chinese tourists arriving with the tour groups would be capped at 5,000 per day, and that independent travelers from China are capped at 4,000 daily, which could increase in the future.
“The key in maintaining the travel quality of Chinese tour groups is to keep a close eye on the shops they stop at,” he said.
Yeh added that there are about 200 stores nationwide frequented by Chinese tourists, and about 40 to 50 of them are financed by investors from Hong Kong.
Within one-and-a-half years of the ministry submitting the list of shops to the Ministry of Finance, which then inspected the tax status of these shops, Yeh said the nation had gained approximately NT$1 billion in tax revenue.
The tax inspection would continue and be conducted intensively, he added.
In addition to increasing the number of inspections, Yeh said that the shops would be obligated to produce invoices for tourists’ purchases.
Meanwhile, he said that Chinese tour groups would have restricted time at each shopping stop, and that tour guides are banned from forcing the tourists to shop.
Yeh said the ministry would increase penalties for tour guides and shops who violate the laws, adding that severe infringement would cause the travel agencies to lose their qualifications to arrange tours for Chinese tourists or even face suspension.
“We will not increase [the number of] travel agencies qualified to offer tours to Chinese tourists in the future,” he said. “Taiwan has about 400 travel agencies handling Chinese tourists, whereas China has only 200. China should allow more travel agencies to enter the market and tell their people to pay for their service.”
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