The Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North America (TCCNA) on Thursday praised the US House of Representatives’ passage of the US-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act.
The act, passed on Wednesday in a 423 to one vote in the US House of Representatives, next heads to the US Senate for approval, before heading to the US president’s desk if passed.
The act would exempt taxation for qualified Taiwanese residents who provide services in the US, while offering a lower withholding tax rate for qualified Taiwanese residents with particular types of US-sourced income, such as dividends or interest.
Photo: Bloomberg
It also includes the US-Taiwan Tax Agreement Authorization Act, which would grant the US president authority to negotiate and establish a tax agreement with Taiwan.
“The act aims to spur greater mutual investments from both countries, in the areas of critical and emerging technologies, such as advanced chip manufacturing, artificial intelligence and quantum computing,” the TCCNA said in a statement.
“The TCCNA has been an advocate for this issue for a long period of time, under the leadership of former and current presidents Mr Tom Wu (吳東昇), Mr Joey Chiang (江俊霖) and Mr Arthur Chen (陳世修), and senior advisers Dr Eugenia Henry, Mr Thomas Chen (陳秋貴) and Dr Charles Ku (谷祖光),” it added.
“We are very glad that our efforts are coming to fruition,” it added, pledging to promote other policies that benefit the US and Taiwanese business communities.
The Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) also welcomed the bill’s passage in the House.
“This bipartisan landmark legislation represents a pivotal step toward deepening the economic partnership between the US and Taiwan by addressing the critical issue of double taxation,” it said in a statement.
“We commend the leadership of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and ranking member Richard Neal for passing the US-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act, a vital piece of legislation that FAPA has ardently championed,” it quoted FAPA president Kao Su-mei (林素梅) as saying.
“By relieving double taxation and providing critical tax benefits, this act will bolster investment and trade between the US and Taiwan while enhancing their economic partnership and global competitiveness,” it said. “This legislation will also strengthen national security against China’s economic influence and coercion.”
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators