Amidst Election Fever Remember Economic Revitalization

Amidst Election Fever Remember Economic Revitalization
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
October 21, 2014

Executive Summary: Taiwan has not enjoyed any rest from the beginning of this year. In March the student movement erupted. It was followed by the rancid oil crisis, the nine in one election nominations, and the current food safety crisis. Confronted with all manner of unexpected political and social crises, politicians, high-ranking officials, and opinion leaders are exhausted. Nevertheless our current difficulties must be confronted. The economy must continue to grow, unemployment must be reduced, wages must be increased. Only then can long-term stability be assured.

Full Text Below:

Taiwan has not enjoyed any rest from the beginning of this year. In March the student movement erupted. It was followed by the rancid oil crisis, the nine in one election nominations, and the current food safety crisis. Confronted with all manner of unexpected political and social crises, politicians, high-ranking officials, and opinion leaders are exhausted. Nevertheless our current difficulties must be confronted. The economy must continue to grow, unemployment must be reduced, wages must be increased. Only then can long-term stability be assured.

Ideological disputes are Taiwan's biggest problem. The ruling and opposition parties remain at loggerheads, swords drawn. Supporters of different camps refuse to tolerate each other's beliefs. Anyone concerned about the future of Taiwan, who sees what is happening, can only feel a sense of sadness. We must snap out of our political spell and focus on the revitalization of Taiwan’s economy.

The FSC has done much in this regard. Chairman Tseng has taken three measures to rescue the stock market. Recently he took one more. Each of these measures will not be equally effective, and their overall impact remains to be seen. But we applaud his good intentions. The government is not limited to the FSC. It has many other agencies. We urge responsible agencies to work together and adopt three more measures.

The first measure is to increase the supply of housing for young people. Housing is a major problem for young people. In fact, it is a major problem for everyone on the island. The government has introduced many policies. But so far none of them have worked. They include the luxury tax, taxing the rich, and increased taxes on anyone with three or more housing units. These alas, are all temporary solutions. The government plans to implement a combined real estate tax/land tax. But which bill will be adopted remains unclear. Whether the legislature can pass the bill remains in question. Even if it is passed, the immediate effects following implementation are still unclear.

We believe the best way is to emulate Singapore and Hong Kong. Public housing needs to be delinked from the market economy. In this respect, it is similar to the minimum wage and subsidies for low-income families. It corrects the deficiencies in the labor market. Under the market economy, housing is unlikely to be affordable to the economically disadvantaged any time in the foreseeable future. Singapore and Hong Kong once had the same problem. In response, they built large numbers of public housing units. In essence this created a "non-market economy" in housing. Housing is then provided on the basis of “from each according to his ability, and to each according to his needs.”

We recommend a three-pronged approach to the problem. One. In some cities housing prices and salaries are higher. In some districts floor areas grossly exceed the maximum allowable floor area. Raising the maximum allowable floor area could be used as an incentive. It could persuade construction company to become involved in equity investment. The government would not need the financial resources to build large quantities of public housing. Also, much public land has remained idle for decades. This includes military land and living quarters for employees of public agencies. These can be put to good use. One need not worry about the impact of the bid price on market prices. One can use these lands as equity and arrange joint ventures with construction companies, The government could thereby acquire large quantities of public housing and financial resources.

Furthermore, public housing need not be constructed in the city center. It can be constructed on the outskirts of the metropolitan area. MRT connections however, are essential. For example, between Keelung and Taipei, land prices are quite low. The straight-line distance from Keelung to Taipei is quite short. If the MRT can be extended, large quantities of public housing could be provided. Public housing should also emulate the private sector. Marketing firms should plan the architectural styles and floor areas, and ensure quality control. Lastly, new primary and secondary schools should be established in the district to ensure the availability of schooling.

The second measure is the Free Enterprise Pilot Zones (FEPZs). There is no reason this bill should remained stalled. We call on the opposition parties to cease opposition for the sake of opposition. The restrictions on Mainland capital can be the same as those outside the FEPZ. Other laws can be relaxed to improve efficiency, These include land use, single window service, specialized courts, and so on. The legislature should adopt these proposals post haste. Let the FEPZs begin operation early, attract domestic and foreign investments to Taiwan, and create jobs.

The third measure is strengthening university-industry collaboration. Let academia take part in the energy industry. Academics currently face a major problem. Even in the applied sciences, most professors' studies are totally unrelated to Taiwan's industries. [???? ] just published an article its journal. When students they trained students enter industry, the must starte from scratch. This is a waste of talent and resources. We urge the government to immediately adopt measures to provide applied sciences research grants. Industry should be willing to adopt the recommendations in Masters and PhD theses or professors plans, and provide partial funding.

When authors of research projects apply for government grants, they should be sent to the relevant technology companies for review. In the case of duplications, the government should promote their integration, Smaller plans that are similar should be merged into larger research projects. They can also suggest new topics Taiwan's industrial development is at stake. This will avoid overspending. Research funding for 100 researchers can subsidize 150 or even 200 people, More can be done with less.

This three measures have no relation to ideology, The DPP has no reason to oppose them. Related bills in the legislature have remained stalled. The opposition should show people it is a responsible party ready to govern, not merely one concerned about electoral advantage, or that engages in opposition merely for the sake of opposition. Only when opposition parties are responsible, can democracy function, and continue to move forward.

社論－選戰再熱 也不能忘了拚經濟
2014年10月21日 04:09
本報訊

從年初到現在，台灣一直處在紛爭中：從3月的學運，到餿水油風波，到九合一選舉的提名，一直到最近的食安風暴。面臨各種突發的政治與社會事件，政治人物、高層文官與社會意見領袖莫不疲於奔命。不過，解決當前難關固然重要，如何讓經濟和就業持續成長、失業率下降、薪資上升，才是長治久安之計。

意識型態的紛爭，是台灣最大的困境。朝野兩黨劍拔弩張、刀光劍影；不同陣營的支持者，無法容忍對方的理念。任何關心台灣前途的人看到這種情況，應該都非常痛心。我們希望大家能夠重新從政治熱鬥中覺醒，把注意力放到振興台灣經濟上。

金管會在這方面做了很多事，曾主委對股市發出三支箭，最近又增加一支。當然每一支箭的效力未必相同，整體效果還有待觀察，但是我們肯定他的用心。要之，政府不是只有金管會，還有其他部門，我們建議相關部門同心協力，發出三支更大的箭。

第一支箭是青年住宅的大量供給。住宅問題是青年人之痛，也是全民之痛，政府推出一大堆政策，到目前為止沒有一個能有效解決問題。諸如奢侈稅、富人稅、調高3屋以上房屋稅等，都只能治標。號稱未來要推行的房地稅合一，未來哪個版本出線不清楚，立法院能不能通過也是問題；就算通過，實施後是否有立竿見影的效應也不明確。

我們認為根本之道要學新加坡和香港，把國民基本住宅需求從市場經濟中抽離。這就和最低工資以及低收入家庭補助一樣，是要矯正勞動市場之不足。市場經濟之下的住宅，在可預見的將來都不可能讓無殼族有能力負擔。新、港有同樣的問題，所以他們大量興建公宅，其本質就是「非市場經濟」，依承購者的需要和能力，決定配售的類型和價格。

我們建議三管齊下解決問題，一是在房價所得比偏高的都市，對於現存樓地板面積離法定最高容積有很大距離的地區，提高容積率獎勵，並用以作為參與建商投資的股本，如此政府不用編列預算即可取得大量屋源或財源。另一方面，很多公有地閒置數十年，例如軍方土地、公家機關宿舍，都可以活化利用。如果擔心土地的招標影響市價，可以拿這些土地當股本和建商合建，如此政府又有大量屋源、財源。

再者，社會住宅不一定要蓋在市中心，可以選址市郊，但必須有捷運。例如基隆台北之間，地價非常便宜，離台北的直線距離又近，捷運如能延長，即可大量興建社會住宅。此外，社會住宅要仿效民間，請代銷公司規畫建築樣式與坪數，並確保品質。最後，一定要在當地設立新的國民中小學校，以便利就學。

第二支箭就是自由經濟示範區，這個案子沒有道理在原地踏步，我們呼籲反對黨千萬不要為反對而反對。示範區對陸資的限制可以和區外一樣，但其本身應仍有其他法規可以鬆綁和提高效率，例如土地使用、行政單一窗口、專業法庭等。立法院應該趕快將提案通過，讓自由經濟示範區早日開張，吸引本國及外國人來台灣投資，創造就業。

第三支箭是加強產學合作，讓學界的能量注入產業。學界現在有一個非常大的問題，即使在應用科學領域，多數教授的研究都和台灣產業完全無關，只求在歐美期刊發表文章。他們訓練出來的學生進入業界，要從頭學起，浪費人才和資源。我們在此呼籲政府立刻採行措施，讓拿到政府補助的應用科學類研究，無論碩博士論文、教授申請計畫，應以有產業認養，且願負擔部分經費者為優先。

另外，研究計畫申請政府補助時，其題目應送到各相關產業技術單位審核。有題目重複者，政府應促其整合，將類似的小型計畫合併成大型研究計畫，也可以建議新的、攸關台灣產業發展的題目。如此不會多花錢，還將本來補助100個教授的研究經費，變成可以補助150人或者200人，事半功倍。

這三支箭都和意識型態沒什麼關係，民進黨應該沒有理由反對，相關法案在立法院卻寸步難行。反對黨應讓人民覺得它是一個準備執政的負責任政黨，而不是心中只有選舉利益，為反對而存在的政黨。一個國家只有在反對黨是負責任的情況下，才可能在民主的運作下，繼續不斷往前走。