From today, the total value of duty-free items that each person is allowed to bring back into the country is to be raised to NT$35,000 (US$1,079) from NT$20,000, the Customs Administration said yesterday.
The duty-free limit was first set in 1989, and many people have proposed an adjustment given the significant increase in the consumer price index over the past three decades and purchasing power, the agency said.
The new figure was set after taking account the limits in Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries, the agency said.
Photo: Tony Yao, Taipei Times
The new policy is estimated to lead to loss in tax revenue of about NT$3.05 million per year, it added.
In other news, EVA Airways was rated eighth among the world’s top 10 airlines by Skytrax, up from ninth last year.
It was the only Taiwanese carrier that made the Top 10.
EVA ranked first in the Best Premium Economy Class Catering and Best Premium Economy Class Onboard Catering in Asia categories.
“Winning the Skytrax five-star airline certification for the ninth consecutive year is the best recognition of the unremitting efforts and excellent service of all EVA Air employees, and it is also an honor for every employee,” EVA Airways president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said. “EVA Airways thanks every passenger for their trust and support, and will continue to pursue excellence and surpass ourselves in the future.”
Starlux Airlines ranked No. 35 among the 350 airlines under evaluation, up from No. 39 last year, while China Airlines ranked No. 44, down from No. 41 last year.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
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