萬國法律事務所

According to Taiwan’s Moral Norms for Public Servants Against Corruption (“Moral Norms”), public servants are permitted to receive and give money or presents valued at less than NT$ 3,000 when attending social occasions such as weddings or funerals. Taking into account changes in the economy and in local customs, the Agency Against Corruption (“AAC”) plans to amend the limitation to raise the allowed amount to NT$ 3,600.

The AAC stated that there are similar regulations in other countries such as the United states and Japan with limitations ranging from NT$ 6,000 to NT$ 12,000. The regulations for the Moral Norms enacted in 2008 did not taken into account local customs and has lead to many complaints. An official of the AAC stated that a public servant complained that when attending the wedding of a friend, he can only give a red envelop containing NT$ 3,000 even though he has a close relationship with the man who got married. The AAC is also considering different amount limitations for a variety of circumstances and social occasions, in the hope of striking a balance between the Moral Norms for public servants and local customs.