Artistic and cultural creativity will get renewed value in government projects if a draft act to develop the creative industries that is being considered by a legislative committee becomes law.
The legislative Education and Culture Committee has reached a consensus on some clauses in the various proposed versions of the draft act, including one that would enable the government to provide more funding for cultural creativity.
The lawmakers agreed that the government should promote the concept that “all cultural creativity has a price” and free cultural creativity from the constraints of rigid budget laws.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) proposed on Monday that government expenditures on creative services or assets with an economic utility of more than two years should be listed as a capital expense rather than as a current expense under budget law.
At present, expenditures reported as current expenses leave little room for services such as “design” that are not tangible or cannot be easily assessed.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said she supported the idea.
“Cultural activities should carry a price” said Kuan, who served as Kaohsiung’s cultural chief before becoming a lawmaker.
She cited one project where she coordinated the budget of a wall made with artistic tiles in Taipei County in which the government would only calculate the cost of the project based on the price of tiles, but the builder insisted on a higher price because he had paid high design fees to an artist.
Meanwhile, the committee also said it would divide cultural creative industries into 15 sectors — visual arts, music and performing arts, cultural asset applications and exhibition and performing facilities, artifacts, movies, broadcast and television, publication, advertising, product design, visual communication design, brand design, architectural design, digital content, creative life, popular music and cultural content.
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