The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft statute for the development of the sports industry that would provide various tax incentives to enterprises and sports bodies to promote sports and cultivate athletes, a government official said yesterday.
Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡) told a press conference following a Cabinet meeting that the draft statute constituted a positive response to longstanding demands by the sports community.
If the legislature approves the amendment, a business operating in the sector would be entitled to tax exemptions on 30 percent of its expenses in hiring an employee for a period of five years, while a corporation would be given tax exemptions on expenses for research and development.
Tax exemptions would also be available for companies sponsoring athletes, sports teams, the sports industry or competitions, as well as purchases of sports equipment or tickets to sports games that are donated to schools or disadvantaged groups.
The Cabinet also approved an amendment to the Trademark Act (商標法) to enhance trademark protection schemes and create a better investment environment.
Trade marks such as holographic images and login screen backgrounds used on -mobile phones would also be recognized as trademarked content.
The draft act stipulates that trademarked material may be composed of a word, design, symbol, color, sound, 3D shape or a combination thereof.
The Cabinet also approved a NT$49.2 billion (US$1.65 billion) proposal by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to build alternative routes on dangerous sections of the Suhua Highway connecting Yilan County and Hualien along the east cost.
Supporters of the project have long demanded a safe road home for residents of Hualien, while its detractors have raised concerns over the project’s potential impact on the environment.
The highway was severely damaged by landslides caused by Typhoon Megi in October, killing 15 people and leaving 23 missing, an incident that is believed to have added a sense of urgency in reaching a decision on the project.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
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