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.
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in
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