The Cabinet yesterday approved an amendment seeking to double the tobacco health and welfare surcharge in a bid to control tobacco consumption.
The government suggested raising the surcharge imposed on tobacco products to NT$20 per package from the current NT$10 per package, Cabinet Spokeswoman Vanessa Shih (史亞平) told a press conference after the weekly meeting.
The proposed amendment to the Tobacco Hazard Prevention Act (菸害防制法) states that the 48.7 percent surcharge imposed on the retail price of tobacco products sold in Taiwan is lower than the international standards of 66.7 percent to 80 percent set by the World Bank.
Department of Health statistics shows that annual expenditure on tobacco-related diseases has reached approximately NT$45 billion (US$1.37 billion), accounting for about one-tenth of the National Health Insurance System's expenses.
Shih said the government would use the surcharge collected from tobacco sales to subsidize the health insurance premiums of economically disadvantaged families living in remote areas or those suffering from rare diseases.
The government is expected to adopt the new surcharge on Jan. 11 if the legislature approves the amendment.
The Cabinet also approved an amendment to the Statute for Upgrading Industries (促進產業升級條例) designed to encourage investment yesterday.
The amendment proposes granting five-year income tax exemptions to manufacturing or service companies that put in new investments between July 1 this year and the end of next year.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has estimated that this would create NT$500 billion in new investments, which in turn would contribute to an increase of NT$6 billion in tax revenue over five years.
The Cabinet also approved a draft measure to turn Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport into an Asian logistics center that could help transform domestic industries and boost long-term economic development.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting that the government planned to set up a state-owned enterprise to manage the transformation of the airport into a regional center.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS