Chinese tourists have been hiking up the sales of souvenirs at the National Palace Museum. With a predicted amount of 600 million NT dollars this year in revenue, the Legislative Yuan Budgetary Research Center is questioning the business that is managed by the museum staffs, suspecting the employees of illegally benefiting from this growing market.

The National Palace Museum has one of most extensive collections of Chinese relics with many tourists coming to Taiwan needing to visit this must see location.

With the opening of tourism to Chinese tourists, souvenirs sales have been quite hot at the museum with total income of 550 million NT$ last year.

This year, the estimate is supposed to be more than 600 million NT$, and 700 million NT$ the following year.

However, this business has been entrusted to a National Palace staff coop, with legislators questioning whether this is a theft of national assets by the staff.

The National Palace Museum stressed that the business has ceased distribution of surplus to members of the cooperative, with income aside from 10% paid to the Treasury, and 10% to a community fund, which is supervised by Taipei City's Bureau of Social Affairs beginning in June of 2009.

Members can no longer be assigned any benefits, but legislators questioned if the museum is still paying membership benefits.

The museum's budget will be reviewed by the Legislative Yuan which will also make an assessment of the staff coop use of 550 square meters or 20% of the hall is consistent with the principles regarding proportion.

And if it undermines the quality and image of Taiwan which is presented to visitors as they come to the National Palace Museum.

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