The Executive Yuan is expected to approve amendments tomorrow that would allow local governments to suspend amusement taxes as they see fit to promote the development of certain industries.
The changes to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) would also reduce the maximum levy on various entertainment venues by half to bring them closer in line with actual practice.
The Ministry of Finance announced the changes on Aug. 12, and the Cabinet is expected to approve them tomorrow after the review period ended on Wednesday last week.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
A Cabinet official said it hopes the legislature would review and approve the amendment during the upcoming session.
The ministry designed the changes in light of practical use, as most of the maximum tax amounts are far above what is actually charged.
For example, the maximum allowable amusement tax on movie tickets for Chinese-language films is 30 percent, but local governments only charge at most 1 percent.
The change would see the maximum possible tax lowered to 15 percent for all films, down from the current 30 percent for Chinese-language films and 60 percent for foreign-language films.
The maximum rate for professional singing, storytelling, dance, circuses, magic shows, acrobatics shows and nightclub performances would also be lowered to 15 percent from 30 percent.
Drama and musical performances, and amateur singing and dancing shows would be lowered to 2 percent from 5 percent.
Billiard halls and bowling alleys would be removed from the act entirely, while the maximum 20 percent tax on golf courses would remain unchanged.
To promote certain industries, local governments would also be given the ability to pause taxes on certain entertainment such as professional sporting events or concerts after making the appropriate financial reviews.
Additional reporting by CNA
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS