Cabinet okays plan to attract foreign experts

This article was published by the Macroview Weekly on July 4, 2007. It reports that the government recently approved plans to attract more foreign professionals to Taiwan through various measures. These include reductions in tax burdens, simplification of immigration procedures and provision of educational opportunities for children.

The Council for Economic Planning and Development estimated that in the coming three years, Taiwan would face a shortfall in professional manpower of between 30,000 and 40,000 in six major high-technology industries. These include semiconductors, video displays, telecommunications, digital content, biotechnology and information services.

According to government officials, there is not enough time for domestic training of so many experts in these sectors. “At this decisive time, there is definitely a need to proactively set up favourable measures for foreign professionals to come to work in Taiwan,” they said.

The CEPD has consulted with related agencies and has proposed a set of measures in both taxation and non-taxation fields. These measures will help build a more friendly environment for foreign professionals to come to Taiwan and “together make long-term contributions to our sustainable development”.

Government officials also expressed gratitude for the contributions already made to Taiwan's development by foreign professionals and experts. They declared that “we warmly welcome with open arms international people regardless of race and nationality so that Taiwan will definitely be their best stage to manifest their talents”.