Most of the entertainment tax in northern Taiwan came from golf venues, while claw machines dominated central Taiwan, the Ministry of Finance said in a report.
Revenue from golf venues made up 33 percent of the total entertainment tax collected in the north, while revenue from claw machine parlors accounted for nearly 30 percent in central Taiwan, the report said.
KTV parlors reigned supreme in eastern Taiwan, generating 37 percent of the total entertainment tax revenue there, while Internet cafes, arcades and KTV parlors were the biggest contributors in the south at about 50 percent of the total.
Photo: Chen Feng-li, Taipei Times
The number of taxable golf venues, KTV parlors, movie theaters, arcades and Internet cafes fell from 2011 to last year, the report said.
However, claw machines were the fastest-growing type of entertainment during the period, as the number of taxable establishments shot up from 16,000 in 2011 to 120,000 last year, it said.
The amount of entertainment tax collected from KTVs, arcades and Internet cafes fell during the period, while tax collected from people in performance-related careers grew, it showed.
The COVID-19 pandemic has nearly halved the amount of entertainment tax collected nationwide last year, with cinemas, which had until then proven to be relatively stable establishments, also generating lower taxes, the report said.
Claw machine parlors saw minor gains in taxable income last year, while taxable income at golf venues — where it is easier to practice social distancing — rose to NT$410 million (US$14.67 million), or 24.3 percent of the total entertainment tax revenue, the report showed.
In related news, a survey by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency on spending trends for cultural content suggested that over-the-top (OTT) media platforms were giving cable TV a run for its money, with only 19.3 percent of respondents watching both platforms.
About 80.9 percent of respondents under 40 said they preferred OTT services, while 49.1 percent of those over 40 used OTT services, the survey conducted last month found.
Netflix dominated the OTT market, with 49.1 percent of OTT users in the survey saying they preferred its services, while 14 percent preferred iQiyi, 13.1 percent used YouTube Premium, 7.6 percent watched Line TV, 7.4 percent chose friDay, 6.1 percent used KKTV and 5.1 percent preferred LiTV. The respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.
Respondents aged 55 to 69 made up the main TV audience, as 27.8 percent of them said they watched nothing but television.
As for music streaming services, Taiwanese listened to 1.16 hours of streamed music per day on average, with KKBox remaining the top choice at 53.6 percent and Spotify coming second at 33.4 percent, with YouTube Music in third place at 26.3 percent and Apple Music in fourth place at 19.9, the survey found.
While those with subscriptions tended to subscribe to more than one service, a majority of respondents preferred subscription-free music, the survey said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Yilan County at 9:53am today, with no immediate reports of damage. The quake had a depth of 72.4km and was centered 15.5km south-southeast of Yilan County Hall in Suao Township (蘇澳), the Central Weather Administration said. Intensities of 3 were felt in parts of New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Hsinchu County, Hualien County, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yilan County, it said. The greatest intensity of 4 was felt in Yilan's Wuta (武塔) and Taroko National Park in Hualien County, the agency said. Other regions in northern, central and eastern Taiwan registered intensities of 2, it added. Apparent shaking was
RSS