英倫翻譯社/ Trsmaster

After the finance minister criticized local governments for lavish New Year’s Eve celebrations, today Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin struck back. Hau took exception to the claim that spending money on fireworks is a waste of money, arguing that it brings substantial economic value to the city. 

Fireworks are the highlight of New Year's Eve celebrations throughout Taiwan. And in the past few years, events such as the Taipei 101 fireworks display have attracted lots of public attention.

To welcome in the year 2013, a special French fireworks team has been commissioned for the first time. This team has worked on past displays such as the Eiffel Tower, the Burj Khalifa and the Doha Asian Games. The show is expected to last 188 seconds and cost a whopping NT$30 million.

Michael Liu
Taipei 101 Spokesman 
I think that fireworks are a sort of memory that everyone can share. It’s also a rare festive event that makes everyone happy for a few moments.

But fireworks displays are coming under new criticism. Finance Minister Chang Sheng-ford accused local governments of claiming poverty while at the same time hosting lavish New Year's Eve parties. He likened this to burning cash and said it might be better to watch the sunrise on New Year’s Day. Local governments don’t seem to agree.

Hau Lung-bin
Taipei Mayor 
The Taipei City government’s has contributed about NT$8 million to the event, and it has become an important part of New Year's Eve in Taipei. We will probably attract over a million people and create hundreds of millions of NT dollars in business opportunities.

It seems that the central and local governments are at odds about the economic value of fireworks celebrations. Each has its own ideas about the importance of this year-end spectacle.

各地方縣市政府一邊喊窮，一邊卻又大手筆籌辦跨年活動，財政部長張盛和昨天不以為然的說，與其燒錢放煙火，不如看日出，此話一出，不少立委紛紛表示肯定，不過，各地方政府通通不以為然，台北市長郝龍斌就說，跨年煙火可以創造更多經濟效益。

放煙火是這幾年台灣跨年的重頭戲，尤其台北的101煙火秀，更是眾所矚目的焦點。

為了迎接2013年，首次委由曾經施放過艾菲爾鐵塔、杜拜塔、杜哈亞運等大型國際煙秀的法國團隊執行，施放秒數188秒，花費3千萬。

[[台北101發言人 劉家豪]]
“我覺得煙火就是一個，很多人共同的回憶，也是一個節慶一年很難得的，讓大家很開心的一個時刻”

但是各地方政府喊窮的同時也大手筆籌辦跨年，財政部長張盛和表示與其燒錢放煙火，不如看日出，不過，各地方政府通通不以為然。

[[台北市長 郝龍斌]]
“台北市政府(跨年)，總共花了八百萬左右，變成台北市跨年中間，過年中間一個很重要的活動，我們大概能吸引到上百萬的人潮，創造了數億的商機”

煙火到底是燒錢浪費，還是創造商機，中央和地方都該好好想一想。

文章出處 ：民視英語新聞