Deputy Legislative Speaker Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and some of the nation’s top athletes yesterday called for the swift passage of an amendment to Article 26 of the Sports Industry Development Act (運動產業發展條例), which would raise the cap on tax deductions for corporations sponsoring sporting events.
Tsai, who is also commissioner of Taiwan’s professional baseball league, the CPBL, met with the legislative caucus whips and asked them to back the bill.
He was accompanied by sports industry representatives, including Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee president Lin Hong-dow (林鴻道), Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting Kuo Hsing-chun (郭婞淳) and former CPBL slugger Chen Chin-feng (陳金鋒).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“We have come to help create a better environment and to secure more resources for athletes,” Kuo said.
Tsai said the amendment was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
People in the sports industry have high hopes for the bill, as it would greatly boost corporate sponsorship, he said.
The legislative caucuses have yet to reach a consensus on the cap for tax deductions available to corporate sponsors, Tsai said.
The Executive Yuan agreed to cap the amount deductible at 150 percent for a NT$10 million (US$359,932) donation, but some opposition parties proposed raising the cap to between 200 and 250 percent, he said.
“All the athletes want is for lawmakers to pass the Executive Yuan’s version of the bill first, and then to consider raising it if there is an opportunity,” Tsai said.
Passing the bill would greatly help the sports industry, he said.
Some CPBL teams are still losing money after operating for 32 years — the bill would help them, he added.
The bill would also ensure that athletes are properly trained and cared for, Tsai said, adding that people are excited to watch the nation’s athletes excel.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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