May revenues up 2%: TWSE
Revenue posted by listed companies on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) for last month rose about 2 percent from a year earlier on the back of an economic recovery, the exchange said yesterday.
The TWSE said the sales growth was largely driven by rising revenue in the semiconductor, automobile and tourism sectors, while sales in the building materials, construction and online communications industries showed signs of slowing down.
Last month, the listed companies on the main board posted total sales of NT$2.21 trillion (US$73.67 billion), up NT$44.2 billion, or 2.03 percent, from a year earlier. In the first five months of this year, their cumulative sales reached NT$10.91 trillion, up 4.35 percent from a year earlier, the statistics show.
Tax inflows edge up: ministry
The nation’s tax revenue for the first five months of the year increased 0.2 percent from a year earlier to NT$708.4 billion (US$23.58 billion), the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.
The ministry’s Statistics Department Deputy Director Hsu Ray-lin (許瑞琳) attributed the strong performance to contributions from the securities transaction tax, business tax and commodity tax.
Revenue from the securities transaction tax climbed 30.9 percent year-on-year to NT$36.1 billion in the first five months, the ministry said.
The ministry expressed optimistim that tax revenue for this year may hit the government’s goal of NT$1.866 trillion.
FSC clears banks for China
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday approved applications by Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行) and CTBC Bank (中信銀行) to set up branches in Guangzhou, as the Chinese city remains a hub for Taiwanese firms with operations in China — favorable for expansion by Taiwanese banks.
The regulator also gave its go-ahead for CTBC Bank to open a sub-branch in the Shanghai free-trade zone.
Yageo board backs capital plan
Yageo Corp (國巨), the nation’s largest passive components maker, said on Wednesday that its board had approved a capital reduction plan as part of an effort to increase shareholder returns.
The company plans to cut its paid-in capital by 70 percent from NT$21.99 billion to NT$6.597 billion, while shareholders are expected to take back NT$7 per share after the capital is reduced.
Yageo slated a meeting next month to secure shareholders’ approval.
OPPO launches Find 7
China’s OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp (歐珀移動) launched its flagship smartphone in Taiwan on Wednesday. The 5.5-inch Find 7 is to be available in the third quarter through Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) at a price of NT$16,990 (US$566).
The Guangdong-based company shipped about 20 million smartphones last year in China for a 5 percent market share. OPPO has set up local offices in Taipei, Greater Taichung and Greater Kaohsiung.
HTC reveals Mini 2 launch
HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday said its new HTC One Mini 2 smartphone is to go on sale in Taiwan later this month through local telecom operators, for NT$13,900 (US$463), less than last year’s One Mini, which started at NT$15,900.
The 4.5-inch One Mini 2 is a stripped-down version of the flagship HTC One M8.
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