Viewpoints from Kaizen

The basic particulars of general companies (non-publicly listed companies) in Taiwan can be found on the Taiwan Business Registration Office website. These basic particulars include basic information such as company name, company address, names of directors, capital amount, and business items. However, detailed shareholder information cannot be accessed through this search.   To access documents beyond the publicly available information, such as company registration forms, article of association, board meeting minutes, and auditor’s reports, these documents are considered non-public and must be applied for either in the name of the company in Taiwan or on behalf of an interested party. Applications in the name of an interested party require supporting documents proving the interest, along with identity documents and an explanation of the reasons for the application. Supporting documents may include court summonses, judgements, lawsuit proof documents, contracts, negotiable instruments, proof of dishonor, or shareholder certificate documents. If these documents […]

Mr. Li has had a knack for financial management since his youth. During several economic recessions, he took the opportunity to enter the stock market and continued to hold his investments long-term after marriage. As he approached retirement, he had accumulated 100 shares of Hon Hai (Foxconn) and 100 shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). As he entered his senior years, he began to think about estate planning. In June 2023, he gifted his 100 shares of Hon Hai stock to his wife. Unfortunately, in June 2024, Mr. Li was diagnosed with cancer and was given a life expectancy of only one more year by doctors. During his illness, his wife sold all the Hon Hai shares at TWD 130 each to cover medical expenses. Knowing his time was limited, Mr. Li decided to plan for the inheritance taxes and thus intended to transfer his 100 shares of TSMC […]

A Taiwan limited company by shares is required to appoint at least one supervisor to oversee and conduct audits of the company’s operations. The primary purpose of supervisor role is to serve as a check against the board of directors, ensuring that the rights of general shareholders are not infringed upon and that directors do not abuse their powers for personal gain. Consequently, a supervisor cannot hold the position of manager, director, or other employee of the organization at the same time. Additionally, information regarding the supervisor is publicly accessible and can be reviewed by the public.   The primary duties of supervisor in Taiwan company are as follows:   The supervisor may convene a shareholder meeting in the interest of the company when necessary, such as when the board of directors fails to convene the meeting or is unable to do so.   The supervisor is responsible for reviewing […]

Under Taiwan’s new unified real estate system, what is the best way to arrange the inheritance of real estate?   Transferring a house to children through a gift allows the use of the announced current value to calculate the gift amount, and there is a tax exemption available to save on taxes. However, if children sell the house later, they will face a huge unified real estate tax because the profit is calculated based on the announced current value at the time of the gift (which is about 30% of the market price, much lower) minus the actual selling price, resulting in a significant profit and a hefty unified real estate tax. If the transfer is done through a sale, the children need to come up with funds close to the actual market price to purchase it; otherwise, the Taiwan National Taxation Bureau might consider it a sham transaction that […]

According to the regulations of Company Law in Taiwan, the term of office for director and supervisor of a Taiwanese corporation is maximum of three years, and elections must be held at the end of each term. However, if the directors and supervisors elected in each election are the same as the previous one, they may be re-elected consecutively.   When the term of office for director and supervisor expires but there is no time for re-election, the term of office may be extended until the director is re-elected and takes office. The definition of failure to re-elect is based on whether the company has elected new directors upon the expiration of the term of the directors and supervisors. As for the reasons, the Taiwan Economic Department will not conduct further inspections. However, the Taiwan Economic Department has the authority to order the company to conduct elections within a specified […]

If a Taiwan company operates in international trade, requiring the import or export of goods, it must register with the Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade for an import/export business registration after the company registration is completed.   The first step in applying for an import or export business registration is to conduct a preliminary search for the company’s English name to check whether the intended English name has already been registered by another company or if there is an existing registered trademark. If there are no such issues and the name passes the review, it can be reserved. This English name can be reserved for up to six months.   The second step involves proceeding with the import/export business registration. Once the registration is approved, the registration information will be uploaded to the internet for public display and transmitted to customs, at which point the company’s import/export registration is considered […]

To curb the phenomenon of flipping properties in Taiwan, the new Income Tax Act is revised the taxation regulations toward to selling estates (abbreviated as “House and Land Transactions Income Tax” hereafter), which was implemented on January 1st, 2016. The taxation brackets are as varied as the holding period, the longer you hold, the lower the tax rate is. This aims to encourage the owner to hold his/her properties as long as possible as well as to curb the property flipped. However, a lot of owners still try to get around the rule to avoid the taxation, so the specific taxation model of house and land transactions income tax was added on July 1st, 2021, which is abbreviated as special shareholdings transactions:   Pre-sale houses and situated foundations. Direct or indirect transactions of holding shares or capital amount is more than a majority of domestic or foreign profit-seeking enterprises. The […]

Taiwan Business Certificate is an IC card used by limited companies, branch offices, limited partnerships, and other businesses registered under Taiwan’s Company Law and Commercial Law for online identity verification. Recently, companies can directly use this certificate to apply for various electronic related businesses online, without being restricted by the time and location of case submissions, which can simplify the overall application process and improve application efficiency. After receiving the main card of the Business Certificate, companies can apply for additional cards based on internal management needs or business requirements, and these cards can be obtained within approximately 14 working days.   Applying for a Business Certificate offers many benefits, as it allows for the online application of many services to speed up the process, including:   Handling company tax filings and shareholder reports; Electronification of company utility and electricity bill accounting; Enrollment and changes in employee labor insurance and […]