Over 10,000 people appealed to President Ma of Taiwan to put his promise of taxation reform into practice.
December 26th, 2010, ten thousand protesters organized by the Tax Victim Association had gathered in Taipei to appeal to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou to put his promise of taxation reform into practice. Their appeals included lowering the tax for the middle class, and promoting human rights taxation to rescue the suffering tax victims.
The Tax Victim Association, Tai Ji Men Dizis around the world, the representatives of the Martial Arts Association, Accountant Association, and Bar Association all gathered in front of the Dr. Sun.Yat-sun Memorial Hall to demand justice on taxation from the government. The sign “Persecution from Judiciary and Taxation against People” and “Returning Taxation Human Rights to People” are held high along the way to Ketagalan Boulevard during the protest.
Tax Victim Association specifically pointed out that each person in Taiwan needs to carry the average debt load of NT$197,000. According to 2010 Tax Reform Survey, unfair taxation is the people’s number one anger. In Taiwan, 72% of national tax receipts are borne by the 9 million workers, among the highest share in the world.
In addition, Tax agents are endowed with too much power to interpret and distort the nature of income to their own agenda, which is also the number one complaint in the survey of taxpayer’s human rights. Compared to other countries, Taiwan is also a nation with extremely high tax penalties. Taxation abuse from tax agents has caused much pain to people’s spirits.
Tax Victim Association mentioned that although Taiwan has called itself as a nation built on human rights. Its taxation human rights barely exist. They further mentioned that Taiwan’s ban on travel outside the country of those individuals in tax dispute with the amount of over NT100, 000 is a serious and direct violation of the UN-proclaimed human right to leave one’s country and to return. Taiwan has just ratified the two UN Covenants on Human Rights on December 10, 2009. Its administration and government officials should live up to high international human rights standards as well. Now a growing awareness on the question of the relation of tax policies and practices to human rights is getting increased among many international human rights organizations. At the end of the protest, a sarcastic play was performed to mock the abusive tax agents.
Taiwan has just ratified the two UN Covenants on Human Rights on December 10, 2009. Its administration and government officials should live up to the high international human rights standards set out. Now a growing awareness on the question of the relation of tax policies and practices to human rights is getting increased among many international human rights organizations as well as in the United Nations Secretariat.
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