The government is seeking to get tougher on the many landlords in Taiwan who do not declare their rental properties to avoid paying tax.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 There are an estimated 1 million rental properties in Taiwan, but few people are able to afford
00:05 them.
00:06 Part of this is due to how many landlords lease their properties without registering
00:10 them as rentals, avoiding taxes and government regulations on rent.
00:15 Aside from overcharging on the properties, a report from the Finance Ministry estimates
00:19 that landlords have evaded taxes totaling nearly 9 million US dollars.
00:24 Now, the Tax Bureau says it will conduct inspections on suspected rentals in popular
00:36 areas near metro stations and schools to try to find that missing revenue.
00:41 Civil society organizations estimate that over 70 percent of landlords don't pay rental
00:46 tax, often telling renters that if they did, that would raise the price of their rent.
00:51 But renters say that landlords should take care of the tax costs themselves.
01:08 As long as landlords continue to rent their properties under the table, the lack of government
01:12 regulation will mean other problems will go unaddressed.
01:24 But for those navigating Taiwan's housing market, these pitfalls are to be expected.
01:29 And unless there are stricter checks on landlords, it will always be a struggle for renters to
01:34 find a place to call home.
01:37 Andy Hsu and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.
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