The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed new legislation adding four national holidays and making Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party used their combined majority in the legislature to push the jointly proposed draft through its third and final reading.
This new law supersedes the existing regulations for the implementation of memorial days and state holidays, which are administered by the Ministry of the Interior.
Photo: CNA
The new law recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou on Oct. 25, Constitution Day on Dec. 25 and “Little New Year,” the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve, as national holidays.
With the inclusion of Little New Year, the Lunar New Year holiday now spans five national days off, extending the total break to seven to 10 days depending on where weekends fall. Other official holidays include Children’s Day, Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Teacher’s Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The legislation also changes the current one-day holiday for annual indigenous ceremonies to a three-day holiday chosen by indigenous people based on their traditions.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
According to the amendment, the legislation would take effect upon promulgation by the president, meaning three additional national holidays would be observed in the second half of this year on Sept. 28, Oct. 25 and Dec. 25.
The amendment also stipulates that if a national holiday falls on a regular day off, a make-up day off must be provided.
KMT Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) said that the new national holidays would give workers more leisure time to spend with their families and decrease stress.
Adding more holidays also benefits the service industry and domestic tourism, as workers would spend more on days off, stimulating the economy, Niu said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) said that national holidays reflect a nation’s history and values, and are subject to change depending on the majority public opinion.
As such, adding national holidays requires more discussion and public consensus, Su said, accusing the opposition parties of hastily passing the amendment.
The Ministry of the Interior yesterday expressed regret that Direct Election Day on March 23, symbolizing the end of autocratic rule, White Terror Memorial Day on May 19, which highlights transitional justice, and Marriage Rights Equality Day on May 24 were not included in the third reading of the draft act.
Meanwhile, several business groups yesterday called on the government to come up with measures that will help offset the impact of four new national holidays on their operations
In a statement, the Taipei-based Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce said it understood the public’s right to a work-life balance, but the increased number of holidays could pose challenges for domestic industries.
This was especially true for the manufacturing and service sectors, as well as numerous small-to-medium-sized businesses that rely on employees working in shifts and are under constant pressure to fill orders, it said.
The additional holidays, it said, could increase the operating costs of their businesses as they would need to pay higher overtime wages or adjust workforce duties, hurting their cost structures.
This is especially concerning amid global economic uncertainty as the additional financial burden could undermine these companies’ competitiveness, it added.
The association therefore called on government agencies to provide necessary supporting measures to help businesses adapt to the changes, including offering tax incentives or subsidy programs to offset rising labor costs, and enhancing support for industrial transformation.
Lin Por-fong (林伯豐), the chairman of the Third Wednesday Association, an organization formed by Taiwanese business owners and leaders, echoed the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce’s views, saying the “operating costs for businesses will inevitably increase” due to the additional holidays.
With the “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by the United States, the appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar, and weak global consumer demand, domestic businesses could face significant losses this year, Lin cautioned.
He urged the government to provide measures to reduce the burden on local businesses, including lowering the duties on goods imported into Taiwan, in particular tariffs on raw materials.
In contrast to those business groups, tourism operators yesterday lauded the additional holidays, expecting that it could boost domestic and international travel demand, which would help grow the overall market and generate positive effects for the tourism industry.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
RSS