Today is May 1, meaning it’s the start of tax season. Taipei’s tax office was packed with people filing on the first day. With plenty of staff on hand, the process was quick and painless, lasting an average of one hour per person. As before, taxpayers are encouraged to take advantage of the online filing system.

Taipei’s National Taxation Bureau is packed with people. May is tax season, and many were eager to file on the first day.

Member of public
Today was just like the other times. There are always a lot of people here on May 1. But the whole process was quite fast, it took about an hour. I’m always afraid of forgetting to do it, so even though we have a whole month, I file my taxes early, to get it done sooner.

Member of public
I thought perhaps there would be fewer people on the first day. I didn’t think it’d be so crowded. It shows that we all love our country.

Filing taxes at the counter takes about one hour on average. The National Taxation Bureau has mobilized all its clerks for the task. There are also accountants, tax agents and even university students on hand to move things along.

Member of staff
You can use your phone to file your taxes. All you need is your phone number and your NHI card.

And there are options besides filing at the counter. Taxpayers are encouraged to file online to save a trip to the tax office.

Lee Ching-hua
Finance deputy minister
There are about 110,000 households that have already filed, and nearly 1 million people have completed income verification. There are a lot of people at all our tax bureau branches and offices. So we hope that more people will use our mobile or web-based filing systems.

This year’s tax season features several changes. The deduction for basic living expenses has been raised by NT$6,000 to NT$202,000. For the first time, 18-year-olds now have to file their own tax returns. Controlled foreign corporations owned by individuals will have to file a tax return if their income in Taiwan and overseas comes to NT$1 million or more. Tax season comes and goes fast, so don’t forget to fulfill your civic duty.

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