July 21, 2019
Anna Murray
Recently, millions of Hong Kong people held “No Extradition Bill” parades to express their anger. They were dissatisfied with the violation of human rights and hoped that Taiwan do not follow Hong Kong's footsteps. The current situation of human rights in the law of Taiwan is indeed worrying. An accountant, Ms. Du, pointed out the fact that Taiwan people are now still hung over the high risks of illegal taxation. The number of Taiwan’s new tax arrears increased year by year. In 2018, the number reached 10.21 million. Almost every two people encountered this dilemma. Criminal prosecution trials, such as murder and arson, only take 8 years to conclude, but the tax case must be finalized after more than 15 years from the date of the court's revocation or change of the referee. In the face of the current unfair and injustice tax system, do people choose to be their own masters or to be still slaves to this country?!
From the perspective of legislation, the Legislative Yuan passed 130 million as tax bonus without legal authorization. The Legislative Yuan has no check and balance function at all! It is sad that Taiwan people are aloof and indifferent to the government’s illegal move in contrast to the current situation in Hong Kong.
In the judicial part, government agencies took the lead in breaking the law. Some tax officers even stated, "The judgment of the court doesn’t mean anything!" Many accountants dare not oppose the IRS because they are worried about being picked on by the IRS. In fact, the tax collector did not perform the duties of investigation before the tax bill was issued! The IRS persistently abuses power and exposes people to the risk of being taxed by animus tax collectors!
Ms. Du said that Taiwan people must be diligent in supervision and confront the system of injustice. She mentioned the recent discussion of the 17th World Taxpayer’s Human Rights Conference in Sydney, Australia. Vice Chairman of the Australian Taxpayer Organization asked the reason why there was only 6% to win the tax case in Taiwan? Are Taiwanese lawyers too weak? She explained that it was actually caused by Taiwan's unique system, eternal tax bills. When they knew how rough the judgment process was, they couldn't believe it! Indian accountants also privately suggested that Taiwan should learn the Indian arbitration court and incorporate professionals from the industry and taxation circles. "When you turn around and resist injustice, you will change from a slave to yourself!" Ms. Du quoted the French writer Albert Camus and said that when the executive and the judiciary cannot protect human rights, people should stand up and protect themselves!
Photo:Webshot.