In 2020 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s government introduced a Special Act (Special Act for Prevention, Relief, and Revitalization Measures for Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens) to provide subsidies and grants to support impacted businesses. Taiwan raised its alert level to Level 3 in mid-May 2021 forcing restaurants, entertainment venues and other businesses to close. The government then introduced more support on 24 June. This article summarizes the newest support available for international enterprises.

Subsidies

International enterprises with Taiwan subsidiaries in some industries whose turnover has been negatively impacted by over 50% in either May, June, or July 2021, can apply for subsidies. The government will subsidize the business with NT$ 40,000 (approx. US$1,428) per employee as a one-off payment.

In addition, if subsidiaries in these industries are forced to close because of Covid restrictions and are unable to pay basic salary to their employees, they can apply for a closed-down subsidy. The government will subsidize businesses with NT$10,000 (approx. US$357) per employee. The government will also offer NT$30,000 (approx. US$1,071) in subsidies and NT$10,000 (approx. US$357) drawn from employment stability funds to each employee working at impacted businesses.

The Executive Yuan has requested that applications are examined leniently to protect as many affected businesses as possible. Businesses can only choose one of the options mentioned above to apply for the subsidies.

Bailout Loans

The government has prepared a total of NT$1.2 trillion (approx. US$42.8 billion) in bailout loans, of which NT$800 billion (approx. US$28 billion) is new funds introduced on 24 June. The details are as follows.

For most enterprises impacted by the pandemic, the government will provide bailout loans with a maximum amount set at NT$500,000,000 (approx. US$17.8 million) for turnover or capital expenditures. The government is also providing bailout loans covering operational costs (such as salary, rent, and so on) up to a maximum of NT$6,000,000 (approx. US$215,000).

For more information on the impact of Covid-19 on businesses in Taiwan, please contact Christine Chen at cchen@winklerpartners.com.

This update was written by Christine Chen and trainer lawyer Kai-yu Chang.