The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plans to pass six pieces of legislation, including a draft foreign repatriation management and application act, and approve the nomination of four grand justice candidates in a proposed provisional legislative session, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Saturday.
The regular legislative session ended on Friday and the DPP caucus aims to hold a provisional legislative session later this month.
The caucus hopes to pass proposed amendments to the Act for Industrial Innovation (產業創新條例), the Factory Management Act (工廠管理輔導法), the Income Tax Act (所得稅法) and the Customs Import Tariff Act (海關進口稅則), the source said.
Photo: Lin Liang-sheng, Taipei Times
Proposed amendments to the Referendum Act (公民投票法) are expected to be the only item of discussion that is political in nature, they said.
DPP and opposition lawmakers are at loggerheads over whether people should be required to present their national ID cards when signing a referendum petition.
DPP Legislator Chiang Chieh-an’s (蔣絜安) proposal, which is nearly identical to the Executive Yuan’s version, has advanced to a second reading, the source said, adding that both versions include the ID requirement to prevent the names of deceased people from being used in petitions.
The draft foreign repatriation act aims to mitigate risks facing China-based Taiwanese firms that plan to transfer capital back home amid an ongoing trade dispute between the US and China, they said.
According to the Executive Yuan’s version, companies that repatriate their earnings in the first year of the act’s promulgation would be given a preferential tax rate equivalent to 8 percent of the repatriated amount, while those that do so in the second year would be taxed 10 percent of the repatriated amount, the source said.
Companies that invest the repatriated money in certain industries would be eligible to reclaim half of the tax they paid, they said, citing the draft act.
Proposed amendments to the Act for Industrial Innovation seek to extend by 10 years the duration of tax benefits for firms that invest in 5G network technologies or smart machinery.
Proposed amendments to the import tariff act would lower tariffs on a dozen Japanese imports, including sake.
Draft amendments to the Income Tax Act seek to introduce a tax deduction of NT$120,000 per person for people who use long-term or home care services.
However, people in the high-income bracket would not be eligible for the deduction.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said that the Executive Yuan would respect the Legislative Yuan’s decision on which bills to review, expressing the hope that bills that would benefit the economy, such as the repatriation bill, would be passed in a provisional session.
Lawmakers are also expected to approve the nomination of Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lu Tai-lang (呂太郎) and three others as grand justices, the source said.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated