Tax bureau offers NT$5.25M prizes for filing taxes on phone

Tax bureau offers NT$5.25M prizes for filing taxes on phone

2026-04-24

Tax filing season is right around the corner, starting next week. Filing taxes on smartphones has become a rising trend among taxpayers, who would rather do the job from home than waiting in line at the counter. And the Ministry of Finance is encouraging more people to use this method to file taxes. This year, taxpayers filing taxes on smartphones can enter a lottery offering a combined NT$5.25 million in prizes. The top prize is NT$50,000. Let’s hear more.

Member of public
Likes phone filing
Filing taxes on your phone is painless. Maybe some older people who don’t know how to use their phones prefer to go to the tax office in person. But if you use a smartphone regularly, there are no downsides. And you can win a prize! So that’s even more appealing.

Lee Ya-ching
National Taxation Bureau
The tax filing period runs from May 1 to May 31. Since this year May 31 falls on a Sunday, we’re extending the period to June 1. Also, May 1 is a national holiday, so tax offices will not provide in-person counter services on that day. We encourage everyone to file their taxes online or on their phones.

And six new measures and deductions are being implemented this year when calculating income tax. The basic living expense deduction has been raised by NT$3,000, and eligibility for long-term care deductions has been expanded. There are also tax credit refunds for income from dividends. A total of 2.37 million households are expected to benefit from the new measures, with a combined tax saving of NT$13.9 billion.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#tax #taxseason #fileyourtaxes #finance #taiwan

5月"手機報稅"有望抽5萬大獎總獎金525萬

2026-04-24

一年一度的5月報稅季即將登場，手機報稅不用臨櫃、不用排隊，已成為納稅新趨勢。財政部為鼓勵大家積極使用手機報稅，今年加碼總獎金525萬元，最高可抽5萬元現金。

[[民眾]]
“手機報一報就報完了，除非一些可能年紀比較大的長輩，如果覺得操作不方便，他們可能還是習慣去國稅局，但對於其他比較平常會使用手機的來說，沒什麼損失，那又有可能可以抽中的話，就會有吸引力這樣”

[[北區財政部國稅局局長李雅晶]]
“今年的結算申報日，是從五月一號，那五月三十一日，因為是例假日，所以我們順延到六月一號，另外今年首度五月一號是國定假日，所以國稅局不提供臨櫃服務，那請民眾多加運用網路，以及手機來加以報稅”

今年綜所稅更祭出六大新制，包括基本生活費調升3千元，長照扣除額也擴大適用，並新增股利所得抵減退稅，預計237萬戶受惠，合計減稅利益達139億元。

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A man who traveled to India recently posted a video of himself bringing back two bottles of water from the Ganges River. But the sight of the murky water, already starting to grow algae, drew condemnation from commenters, who accused him of bringing potentially disease-ridden pathogens back to Taiwan. In a response video, the man apologized and promised to bring the water back to the Ganges.

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When visiting the Ganges River in India, this traveler filled two plastic bottles with water to bring back with him. Little did he know he was about to start a firestorm.

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Just seeing these bottles of turbid water is enough to make your skin crawl. Even though the Ganges is a sacred river, it’s also a place where locals wash their clothes, prepare food, and conduct funeral rites. Commenters on the man’s post called on customs or the CDC to intervene.

Hsiang Hsiang
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Last month, I went to India with some friends and filmed travel videos. I heard the locals will bring water from the Ganges back with them for worship, so I thought I’d bring some back to Taiwan to share with my friends. I never thought it would be shared around to all of Taiwan. I’m so sorry! It’s been in Taiwan for a month now and nothing has leaked. Not a drop.

Hsiang Hsiang promised to return the water. An Indian friend also told him that people believe the Ganges holds the souls of the dead, so taking water without permission disrupts their rest. The Ganges has often become a topic of conversation. Once, a Chinese influencer drank a glass of water straight from the river while filming himself. But could bringing two bottles back really cause pollution or spread infectious disease?

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If you left a bottle of water from a Taiwanese river sitting for a month, there would definitely be some bacteria in it as well. Drug-resistant bacteria don’t necessarily multiply quickly unless they’re under pressure from antibiotics. So unless those bottles of river water have been fed antibiotics every day, it won’t breed particularly resilient bacteria.

The doctor said that unless it’s cultured intentionally, there isn’t much danger posed by the bottles of river water. But from the look of them, it’s no wonder people are concerned.

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Commuters recommend HSR over MRT to travel across Taipei

Most people traveling from Taipei Main Station to Nangang take the MRT. But if you’re in a hurry, some commuters have discovered that it’s 10 minutes faster to take the high-speed rail, and only NT$5 more expensive. They’re encouraging others to changes lines too, saying it’s more than worth it.

Meng Chia-mei
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When traveling from Taipei Main to Nangang, most people take the MRT. But some people have discovered that if you go just across the way and take the HSR instead, it’s faster and only costs NT$5 more.

Member of public
For only a NT$5 difference and getting there a little bit faster, for me, I think it’s OK. Sometimes it’s really crowded on the MRT, but usually, the HSR has passenger limits and people have slightly different destinations.

Member of public
If you can spend only NT$5 more and get there 10 minutes faster, I’d be willing to do it.

The journey from Taipei Main to Nangang on the HSR takes 8 to 9 minutes compared to 19 minutes on the MRT. For just NT$5 more, you can save 10 minutes. It’s also less crowded, and you’ll be sure to get a seat. It seems like a deal that can’t be beat. But if you factor in frequency, during peak hours, there’s only a high-speed train every 5 to 25 minutes, compared to a train every 2 to 2-and-a-half minutes on the MRT. If your timing is off, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Member of public
I think it’s all right for me. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to do it. As long as it’s convenient.

Member of public
The MRT runs more frequently. SoI’d take a look at the schedule first. If the MRT would be faster, I’d choose that.

When choosing between the HSR and MRT, you need to consider ticket price, timing, and train frequency. But some have come up with a compromise. With its more frequent departures and cheaper price than the HSR, plus acceptance of TPass, the Taiwan Railway is also a solid alternative.

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60-year bawan business in Kaohsiung draws crowds with traditional recipe

Bawan, or Taiwanese meatballs, can be prepared in different ways. Some are steamed, some are fried. Now there is a bawan shop with a long history in Qishan, Kaohsiung, where the traditional snack is first steamed and then fried. The result is a texture that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Every weekend, the shop is packed. Now the family business is run by the third generation as it approaches its 60th year in operation.

The steamed bawan sizzle on the griddle and the translucent skin gradually turns golden and crispy.

When the surface is slightly charred, you can remove it from the griddle, pour two special homemade sauces over it, add some mashed garlic, and voila, it’s ready to serve.

Wu Sheng-hua
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My impression is that my grandfather started selling it around 1968 or 1969, and then my mother and my aunt took over. They worked together for about 20 some years. Now we have been doing it for about 20 years.

This traditional bawan shop is located in Qishan District of Kaohsiung. The outer skin of the bawan is made of tapioca starch, and the filling is made of fresh pork. It’s first steamed and then slowly fried with lard over low heat.

Customer
Because I spend most of my time in the north now, whenever I come back to Qishan, I will come here to get some. I like the skin, which is very chewy but not too hard.

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It’s quite famous and rated highly on the web. It is different from what I have had elsewhere. The skin tastes like it has been fried, and it’s just yummy.

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The recipe has been passed down from 60 years ago, and we keep the tradition going and see if the next generation wants to take over. If they do, then it can continue to be passed down.

In addition to bawan, the pork broth and stir fried vermicelli are also crowd pleasers. The owner Mr. Wu says when his grandfather started the business, it was just a push cart from which he peddled the snack. Now customers descend on their store in droves every weekend. They have certainly come a long way.

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Formosan macaques have taken over the utility pole. Some sit and chill while others hang on with their hands. Some others weave back and forth through the power lines as if doing tightrope stunts. It’s enough to make anyone nervous.

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Voice of Wang Po-kai
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Some friends and I were checking out our land when we saw the monkeys. I thought they looked so funny, like a free circus show. It was hilarious seeing them on the power lines.

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The paragon of sages, Confucius has time traveled to the classroom.

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I was really surprised. I didn’t expect the teacher to dress up as Confucius to encourage us.

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Liu I-te
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I thought since AI makes it look as if I suit those looks, then perhaps I could actually dress up and interact with students in costume. I thought that’d be quite fun.

Liu hopes that students are delighted by the stunt and hopes that they will all ace the college entrance exams.

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The expert is optimistic, saying that there is no need to set a ceiling for the Taiwan stock index in the short term. The market has strong fundamentals, and listed companies, including those in the S&P 500, continue to revise their projected earnings up. One event to watch out for in the future is Computex in June, where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is once again expected to capture headlines with major announcements. Observers say Taiwan shares could well swell above 40,000 points in May.

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