wfn.org | Taiwan's Social Welfare Agencies Speak out on Tax Changes

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Taiwan Church News 2635, September 1, 2002
Reported by Wang-kai.  Translated and rewritten by David
Alexander

    The executive branch of Taiwan's national government recently
passed an amendment to the tax laws that revokes the tax free
status currently granted to members of Taiwan's armed forces,
elementary and middle school teachers.  Social welfare agencies
support the action, but take exception to proposals for the use
of the added government revenues. These will be devoted to
projects benefiting teachers and members of the armed services.
    Ms. Wu Yu-chin, General Secretary of the Alliance for the
Welfare of the Elderly, said, "This arrangement perpetuates the
current welfare system for teachers and soldiers, and is only a
transformation of their tax exempt status.  They have long been
the "nobility" of the nation's welfare recipients.  Without
reason we have taxed and untaxed citizens.  This is socially
unjust."
    Mr. Wang Rong-jong, of the Disabled People's Alliance,
commented, "Earners must pay taxes. In the past the government
exempted the military and teachers, to protect their welfare.
The tax free status became a political litmus test.  Though the
social status of these groups has changed, they continue to
receive a high proportion of social resources.  To continue the
tax exemption would be socially unjust."
   Grassroots social welfare organizations have unceasingly said
that the high quality of military, civil servant and teacher
social welfare protection distorts social equality.  Ten
associations concerned with the welfare of women, children, the
elderly, the disabled and the mentally retarded have formed a
grassroots promotion team to conduct a comprehensive review of
the nation's welfare system, including those benefits given to
government employees. This will include the privileges extended
to actively employed and retired members of the effected groups.
Preliminary data seem to show that retirement pensions of civil
servants run between 95 and 99% of their pre-retirement wage
levels.  Teachers on average get 96%, but soldiers are somewhere
around 70%.  This compares to around 20% levels received by
people in the non-governmental sectors of society.
    The Eden Social Welfare Foundation and the Creation Social
Services Foundation are among the founding members of the
grassroots team.

For more information: www.eden.org.tw

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