The Control Yuan’s latest assets declaration report shows that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) savings grew by about NT$2 million (US$67,969) from last year to NT$15.89 million.
The report showed that Ko and his wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), own eight tracts of land and two building lots, which was unchanged from last year’s report.
Ko explained in the report’s footnotes that six tracts of land are located at the couple’s residence in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), while one tract of land and a building refer to farmland and a farmhouse in Hsinchu (新竹) and another tract of land is one-fifth of a Penghu (澎湖) property that Chen inherited from her father.
They also declared shares in investment funds valued at NT$3.56 million, a reduction from last year’s NT$1.45 million.
Shares in four investment funds are listed under Ko’s name: the Baring Hong Kong China Fund (霸菱香港中國), Jih Sun China Demand Dynamic Equity Fund (日盛中國內需動力), Jih Sun Upstream Fund (日盛上選) and Fidelity ASEAN Fund (富達東協).
Funds from last year’s Baring Eastern Europe Fund were moved to the Baring Hong Kong China Fund.
Ko said in the footnotes that the increase in the couple’s income was primarily because of salaries and from fund redemptions over the past year, which can be shown through withholding statements, tax receipts and fund redemption certificates.
Taipei City Government spokesman Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said Ko has declared his assets according to government regulations and carefully explained them every year, but that investment funds are a type of savings, which are managed by Chen.
Ko also said that he obtained NT$25.61 million from an election subsidy during the 2014 mayoral election, but that the subsidy has been used up: About NT$9.87 million was spent on the campaign, NT$15.47 million was donated and NT$619,488 was used for a penalty imposed by the Control Yuan in April last year.
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