The Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) said it would provide NT$1 billion (US$31 million) in subsidies in the form of discounts on student tickets for performances by local artists and cultural groups to help foster the cultural and creative industries.
Fang Jy-Shiuh (方芷絮), director of the council’s first department, said the government hoped the trial program would expand demand for arts and cultural events.
A plan to offer tax incentives to encourage cultural consumption had originally been considered, but was eventually scrapped after potential consequences were taken into account.
The government therefore decided to provide NT$1 billion a year for the subsidy program on a trial basis, Fang said.
Noting that the subsidy program falls under the provisions of the drafted cultural and creative industry development bill, Fang said that although the bill has yet to be enacted, the CCA has begun mapping out its subsidy plan.
Fang said that one of its CCA’s main objectives was to help creative industries penetrate Chinese-speaking and international markets. In the initial stage, the two sides can start by holding large scale cultural and creative expositions and establishing a dialogue mechanism, she said.
She said the CCA would promote industry cooperation between Taiwan and China in the areas of investment protection, intellectual property protection and joint ventures into international markets.
The cultural and creative industries of Taiwan and China complement each other, Fang said, citing China’s huge market, abundant capital, vast land and a sound cultural policy related to creative industries, while Taiwan’s strong talent pool and its favorable and free environment support the industry’s development.
Kuo Su-chen (郭淑貞), chief of a creative belly dance troupe and winner of the ninth Ahlan Wa Sahlan Belly Dance Festival in July last year in Egypt, said the subsidy program should help expand arts and cultural consumption.
Kuo said that if performers were not famous enough, they usually found it difficult to sell tickets. She also said the CCA should first provide a platform for performances to help boost performers’ popularity.
Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries encompass the visual arts, music and performing arts, cultural exhibitions and performance facilities, films, TV and broadcasting, publishing, advertising, and product design.
They also extend to fashion and architectural design, creative living, and digital leisure and amusement industries, according to the definition by the center for promoting Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
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