Sun, Aug 25, 2019 page3

• Taiwan Renewal Party starts, to focus on tax reform

  • By Sean Lin / Staff reporter
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  The Taiwan Renewal Party (台灣維新黨) was formally founded yesterday, announcing aims to restrict the central government’s power and reform taxation.

  The party would push for a tax-sharing system similar to that introduced by Germany and later adopted by China, Taiwan Renewal Party convener Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) told a news conference in Taipei to mark the party’s founding.

  Local governments would ideally receive half of profit-seeking enterprises’ income tax and business tax — which currently go to the central government — allowing them to promote more policies and developments, Su said.

  

  Former Tainan County commissioner Su Huan-chih, the first chairman of the Taiwan Renewal Party, which was formally established in Taipei yesterday, speaks at the party’s inaugural meeting in Taipei.

  Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times

  This would incentivize local governments to attract investment, thereby boosting local economies, said Su, a former Tainan County commissioner who left the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in March last year.

  The Taiwan Renewal Party would seek to restrict the central government’s jurisdiction and give local governments more autonomy, he said.

  For instance, the six special municipalities could hold district director elections and allow each district to have more say on its own affairs, rather than have the mayor distributing all the resources, he said.

  National affairs are decided by a handful of policymakers and young people often feel powerless and depressed, as they are not given the opportunity to use their talent to benefit the nation, he said, adding that if a proportional representation system were adopted for local elections, capable young people would be more motivated to enter politics.

  The party would nominate at least 10 candidates for next year’s legislative elections, Su said.

  He said that he did not form the party in pursuit of power or profit, but to reform the nation.

  President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) during her first presidential campaign in 2012 raised the idea of a “Taiwan consensus,” but did not define what she meant by “consensus,” he said.

  The consensus is that Taiwan, or the Republic of China (ROC), is an independent nation, the future of which should be decided by its 23 million people, he said.

  More than 80 percent of Taiwanese accept either the ROC or Taiwan when referring to the nation, so people should not dwell on the matter, he said.

  Most people care about how the economy can be reinvigorated and how underprivileged people can be cared for, Su said, adding that he and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) think similarly in this regard.

  Asked if he would support Gou if he ran for president, Su said that he welcomes all like-minded candidates.

  The Taiwan Renewal Party’s ideals partially align with Gou’s, as he also wants to restore the ROC’s glory and find an answer to people’s frustrations, Tsai Chin-yu (蔡沁瑜), deputy chief executive of Gou’s Yonglin Foundation, said at the event.

  Asked whether his party supports Tsai’s re-election bid, Su said: “We are just small potatoes, so does it matter?”
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