• Font Size：
  • S
  • M
  • L

Amendments

Title：

Regulations Governing Information to be Published in Annual Reports of Public Companies  CH

Amended Date： 2024.08.01 
Article Content Chapter Content Search Article No. Search Legal Basis Amended Article Attachment Legislative History Chinese

Title： Regulations Governing Information to be Published in Annual Reports of Public Companies(2023.11.10)
Date：
Article 10     The corporate governance report shall include the following:
  1. Organizational system: Show the company's structure and the tasks of its principal divisions.
  2. Information on the company's directors, supervisors, general manager, assistant general managers, deputy assistant general managers, and the chiefs of all the company's divisions and branch units, as follows:
    1. Directors and supervisors: names; gender; age, nationality or place of registration; principal work experience and academic qualifications; position(s) held concurrently in the company and/or in any other company, date on which current position was assumed; term of contract; the commencement date of the first term, shares held by directors/supervisors and their spouses, children of minor age, and held through nominees; professional expertise; and the diversity policy and status of independence of the board of directors. For directors and supervisors acting as the representatives of institutional shareholders, this section shall indicate the names of the institutional shareholders, and shall further indicate the names of its 10 largest shareholders and the holding percentage of each. If any of those 10 largest shareholders is an institutional shareholder, the name of the corporate shareholder and the names of its 10 largest shareholders and the holding percentage of each shall be noted (see Table 1).
    2. The general manager, assistant general managers, deputy assistant general managers, and the chiefs of all the company's divisions and branch units: names; gender; nationality; principal work experience and academic qualifications; date on which current position was assumed; term of contract; and shares held by them and their spouses, children of minor age, and held through nominees (see Table 1-1).
    3. Where the chairperson of the board of directors and the general manager or person of an equivalent post (the highest level manager) of a company are the same person, spouses, or relatives within the first degree of kinship, an explanation shall be given of the reason for, reasonableness, necessity thereof, and the measures adopted in response thereto (see Tables 1 and 1-1).
  3. Remuneration paid during the most recent fiscal year to directors, supervisors, the general manager, and assistant general managers (see Table 1-2 and Table 1-3):
    1. The company may opt either to disclose aggregate remuneration information, with the name(s) indicated for each remuneration range, or to disclose the name of each individual and the corresponding remuneration amount.
    2. If any of the following applies to the company, it shall disclose the remuneration paid to each individual director and supervisor:
      1. A company that has posted after-tax deficits in the parent company only financial reports or individual financial reports within the three most recent fiscal years shall disclose the remuneration paid to individual directors and supervisors. This requirement, however, shall not apply if the company has posted net profit after tax in the parent company only financial report or individual financial report for the most recent fiscal year and such net profit after tax is sufficient to offset the accumulated deficits.
      2. A company that has had an insufficient director shareholding percentage for 3 consecutive months or longer during the most recent fiscal year shall disclose the remuneration of individual directors; one that has had an insufficient supervisor shareholding percentage for 3 consecutive months or more during the most recent fiscal year shall disclose the remuneration of individual supervisors.
      3. A company that has had an average ratio of share pledging by directors or supervisors in excess of 50 percent in any 3 months during the most recent fiscal year shall disclose the remuneration paid to each individual director or supervisor having a ratio of pledged shares in excess of 50 percent for each such month.
      4. If the total amount of remuneration received by all of the directors and supervisors in their capacities as directors or supervisors of all of the companies listed in the financial reports exceeds 2 percent of the net profit after tax, and the remuneration received by any individual director or supervisor exceeds NT$15 million, the company shall disclose the remuneration paid to that individual director or supervisor.
      5. A company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) or the Taipei Exchange (TPEx) is ranked within the lowest two tiers in the corporate governance evaluation for the most recent fiscal year, or in the most recent fiscal year or up to the date of publication of the annual report for that year, the company's securities have been placed under an altered trading method, suspended from trading, delisted from the TWSE or the TPEx, or the Corporate Governance Evaluation Committee has resolved that the company shall be excluded from evaluation.
      6. The average annual salary of the full-time non-management employees in a TWSE or TPEx listed company is less than NT$500,000 in the most recent fiscal year.
      7. A TWSE or TPEx listed company had an increase of 10 percent or more in net profit after tax for the most recent fiscal year, but the average annual salary of its full-time non-management employees did not increase relative to the preceding fiscal year.
      8. A TWSE or TPEx listed company had a decline in after-tax net income reaching 10 percent and exceeding NT$5 million for the most recent fiscal year, along with an increase in its average remuneration per director (not including the remuneration of those who are also employees) reaching 10 percent or more and exceeding NT$100,000.
    3. If the circumstance in sub-item "a" or in sub-item "e" of the preceding item applies to a company listed on the TWSE or the TPEx, it shall disclose the individual remuneration paid to each of its five highest remunerated management personnel (see Table 1-2).
    4. Separately compare and describe total remuneration, as a percentage of net income stated in the parent company only financial reports or individual financial reports, as paid by this company and by each other company included in the consolidated financial statements during the past 2 fiscal years to directors, supervisors, general managers, and assistant general managers, and analyze and describe remuneration policies, standards, and packages, the procedure for determining remuneration, and its linkage to operating performance and future risk exposure.
  4. The state of the company's implementation of corporate governance:
    1. The state of operations of the board of directors: Number of meetings; attendance rate of each director; an evaluation of targets for strengthening of the functions of the board during the current and immediately preceding fiscal years, and measures taken toward achievement thereof; and any other matters that require reporting (see Table 2).
    2. The state of operations of the audit committee or the state of participation in board meetings by the supervisors: Number of meetings; rate of attendance (or of attendance as a non-voting participant) of each independent director or supervisor; and any other matters that require reporting (see Table 2-1, Table 2-1-1).
    3. The state of the company's implementation of corporate governance, any deviation from the Corporate Governance Best-Practice Principles for TWSE/TPEx Listed Companies, and the reason for any such deviation (see Table 2-2).
    4. If the company has a remuneration committee or nomination committee in place, the composition and operation of such committee shall be disclosed (see Table 2-2-1).
    5. The state of the company's promotion of sustainable development, any deviation from the Sustainable Development Best Practice Principles for TWSE/TPEx Listed Companies, and the reason for any such deviation (see Table 2-2-2); a company that meets certain conditions shall disclose climate-related information (see Table 2-2-3).
    6. The state of the company’s performance in the area of ethical corporate management, any deviation from the Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles for TWSE/TPEx Listed Companies, and the reason for any such deviation (see Table 2-2-4).
    7. If the company has adopted corporate governance best-practice principles or related bylaws, disclose how these are to be searched.
    8. Other significant information that will provide a better understanding of the state of the company's implementation of corporate governance may also be disclosed.
    9. The section on the state of implementation of the company's internal control system shall furnish the following:
      1. A Statement on Internal Control.
      2. Where a CPA has been hired to carry out a special audit of the internal control system, furnish the CPA audit report.
    10. If there has been any legal penalty against the company or its internal personnel, or any disciplinary penalty by the company against its internal personnel for violation of the internal control system, during the most recent fiscal year or during the current fiscal year up to the publication date of the annual report, where the result of such penalty could have a material effect on shareholder equity or securities prices, the annual report shall disclose the penalty, the main shortcomings, and condition of improvement.
    11. Material resolutions of a shareholders meeting or a board of directors meeting during the most recent fiscal year or during the current fiscal year up to the date of publication of the annual report.
    12. Where, during the most recent fiscal year or during the current fiscal year up to the date of publication of the annual report, a director or supervisor has expressed a dissenting opinion with respect to a material resolution passed by the board of directors, and said dissenting opinion has been recorded or prepared as a written declaration, disclose the principal content thereof.
    13. A summary of resignations and dismissals, during the most recent fiscal year or during the current fiscal year up to the date of publication of the annual report, of the company's chairperson, general manager, chief accounting officer, chief financial officer, chief internal auditor, chief corporate governance officer, and chief research and development officer (see Table 2-3).
  5. Information on the professional fees of the attesting CPAs (external auditors):
    1. The company shall disclose the amounts of the audit fees and non-audit fees paid to the attesting certified public accountants and to the accounting firm to which they belong and to any affiliated enterprises as well as the details of non-audit services (see Table 2-4), and given any of the following conditions, shall disclose information as follows:
      1. When the company changes its accounting firm and the audit fees paid for the fiscal year in which such change took place are lower than those for the previous fiscal year, the amounts of the audit fees before and after the change and the reasons shall be disclosed.
      2. When the audit fees paid for the current fiscal year are lower than those for the previous fiscal year by 10 percent or more, the reduction in the amount of audit fees, reduction percentage, and reason(s) therefor shall be disclosed.
    2. The professional fees for auditing services referred to in the preceding item means the professional fees paid by the company to certified public accountants for auditing, review, and secondary reviews of financial reports and for financial forecast reviews.
  6. Information on replacement of certified public accountant: If the company has replaced its certified public accountant within the last 2 fiscal years or any subsequent interim period, it shall disclose the following information: (see Table 2-5)
    1. Regarding the former certified public accountant:
      1. Date of and reason for replacement of the certified public accountant, specifying whether it was the certified public accountant that voluntarily ended the engagement or declined further engagement, or the company that terminated or discontinued the engagement.
      2. If the former certified public accountant issued an audit report expressing other than an unqualified opinion during the 2 most recent years, furnish the opinion and reason.
      3. Indicate whether there was any disagreement between the company and the former certified public accountant relating to accounting principles or practices, financial report disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure.If any disagreements did exist, the company shall describe in detail the nature of each such disagreement, how the company handled them (including whether the company has authorized the former certified public accountant to respond fully to the inquiries of the successor certified public accountant concerning the subject matter of each such disagreement), and how the disagreements were finally handled.
      4. Where the former certified public accountant has advised the company that it lacked the sound internal controls necessary for the preparation of reliable financial reports.
      5. Where the former certified public accountant has advised the company that he or she was unable to rely on the company's written representations, or was unwilling to be associated with the financial report prepared by the company.
      6. Where the former certified public accountant has advised the company of the need to expand the scope of the audit, or of information showing that an expanded audit might impact the reliability of either a previously issued financial report or the financial report to be issued but, due to replacement of the certified public accountant or for any other reason, the former certified public accountant did not expand the scope of the audit.
      7. Where the former certified public accountant has advised the company that information collected might impact the reliability of either a previously issued financial report or the financial report to be issued but, due to the replacement of the certified public accountant or for any other reason, the certified public accountant did not deal with the issue.
    2. Regarding the successor certified public accountant:
      1. Name of the successor accounting firm, name of the certified public accountant, and date of engagement.
      2. If prior to the formal engagement of the successor certified public accountant, the company consulted the newly engaged accountant regarding the accounting treatment of or application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the company's financial report, the company shall state and identify the subjects discussed during those consultations and the consultation results.
      3. The company shall consult and obtain written views from the successor certified public accountant regarding the matters on which the company did not agree with the former certified public accountant, and shall make disclosure thereof.
    3. The company shall mail to the former certified public accountant a copy of the disclosures it is making pursuant to item A and to (c) of the here preceding item, and advise the accountant of the need to respond by mail within 10 days should the accountant disagree. The company shall disclose the content of the reply letter from the former certified public accountant.
  7. Where the company's chairperson, general manager, or any managerial officer in charge of finance or accounting matters has in the most recent year held a position at the accounting firm of its certified public accountant or at an affiliated enterprise of such accounting firm, the name and position of the person, and the period during which the position was held, shall be disclosed. The term "affiliated enterprise of a certified public accountant's accounting firm" means one in which the certified public accountants at the accounting firm of the attesting certified public accountant hold more than 50 percent of the shares, or of which such accountants hold more than half of the directorships, or a company or institution listed as an affiliated enterprise in the external publications or printed materials of the accounting firm of the certified public accountant.
  8. Any transfer of equity interests and/or pledge of or change in equity interests (during the most recent fiscal year or during the current fiscal year up to the date of publication of the annual report) by a director, supervisor, managerial officer, or shareholder with a stake of more than 10 percent during the most recent fiscal year or during the current fiscal year up to the date of publication of the annual report. Where the counterparty in any such transfer or pledge of equity interests is a related party, disclose the counterparty's name, its relationship between that party and the company as well as the company's directors, supervisors, managerial officers, and ten-percent shareholders, and the number of shares transferred or pledged (see Table 3).
  9. Relationship information, if among the company's 10 largest shareholders any one is a related party or a relative within the second degree of kinship of another (see Table 3-1).
  10. The total number of shares and total equity stake held in any single enterprise by the company, its directors and supervisors, managerial officers, and any companies controlled either directly or indirectly by the company (see Table 4).
    The certain conditions mentioned in item E of subparagraph 4 of the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the FSC.
    The latter part of item E, subparagraph 4, paragraph 1 amended on 25 November 2022 shall be enforced from 1 January 2024.
Article 23     The company shall upload an electronic file containing its annual report to the information disclosure website specified by the FSC in accordance with the following rules:
  1. In the case of a public company whose stock is listed on the TWSE or traded on the TPEx, upload the electronic file seven days prior to the day on which a shareholders' meeting is to be held. However, in the case of a TWSE or TPEx listed company with paid-in capital reaching NT$2 billion or more as of the last day of the most recent fiscal year, or in which the aggregate shareholding percentage of foreign investors and Mainland Chinese investors reached 30% or more as recorded in the shareholders' register at the time of holding of the shareholders' meeting in the most recent fiscal year, it shall upload the electronic file 14 days prior to the day on which the shareholders' meeting is to be held.
  2. In the case of a public company whose shares are neither listed on the TWSE nor traded on the TPEx, upload the electronic file two days prior to the day on which a shareholders' meeting is to be held.
    If the annual report is to be used as a supplemental material to the agenda handbook for the shareholders' meeting, the time limit for uploading the electronic file to the website under the preceding paragraph shall comply with the time limit provided in the Regulations Governing Content and Compliance Requirements for Shareholders' Meeting Agenda Handbooks of Public Companies.
    The company whose stock is listed on the TWSE shall send a copy of the annual report to the TWSE. The company whose stock is traded on the TPEx shall send a copy of the annual report to the TPEx.