If I want to request a favor from someone, like a doorman or something, how much money would be appropriate?
Do you want someone killed or just want him to carry your bag?
I just want to know what the equivalent is for like $20 USD. 100 twd seems too little and 1000 too much.
20USD is about 600TWD
Equivalent for $20 USD is roughly NT$579. Appropriate’s another question. Do you want him to testify that you weren’t driving at the time of the accident or that it wasn’t your dog that shat on the sidewalk. The price, undoubtedly, varies depending on how badly you want him to sacrifice his morals and integrity and risk legal hassles.
I can’t imagine slipping someone a folded $500, if that’s what you’re getting at. It’s not likely to be appropriate.
Depends if it’s a tip/gratuity for legitimate service or a bribe for doing something unseemly and/or unethical. And it depends on what the actual favor is.
Bribes are illegal … a hong bao (red envelop) on the other hand shows appreciation for willingness to bend the truth … 
I’m not doing anything illegal! I’ll try 500
If it was a tip then the topic of this thread would be “How much is an appropriate tip?”
A bribe is never appropriate in taiwan and can get you in a lot of trouble as it is illegal. Red packets (gifts) on the other hand are quire acceptable in taiwan in certain circumstances.
if what you are asking of him is a simple favor, a small gift would be nice-bottle of booze, carton of smokes, etc…
I would wait for moon cake feestival and give a nice ‘gift’. That would be appropriate!
Is it just me or does anyone have a creepy feeling that this thread is going to spawn some kind of shocking news article.
If it was a tip then the topic of this thread would be “How much is an appropriate tip?”
A bribe is never appropriate in taiwan and can get you in a lot of trouble as it is illegal. Red packets (gifts) on the other hand are quire acceptable in taiwan in certain circumstances.[/quote]
Incredibly, I think this is inaccurate. The person giving the bribe often has no liability. The person receiing does if he is a public official.
in business it is usually ten percent of the value of the project (though 5 or up to 20 is sometimes demanded depending on margins).
in Taipei people won’t get off their ass for less than 1K unless it is directly related to their job duties, and even then you may need to sweeten the pot.
I think the questions you need to ask is how badly do you need this done, how much of a compromising position is it putting the person in and how much do you want to keep it hush hush.
while you don’t want to over pay, being a cheap briber is akin to pissing money away.
thank you for your comments I think I have a pretty good idea now
And since the OP has posted his e-mail address in another thread, we would also recognize who that article is about… 
I would respectfully suggest that there is NO SUCH THING AS AN APPROPRIATE BRIBE.
All bribes are inappropriate, illegal and (contrary to one posting) liable to get both the recipient and the giver in serious trouble. EVEN in Taiwan. Just ask my wife’s friend’s husband who spent two years hiding from the police for trying this dumb-assed move.
With increasing oversight, public scrutiny and distaste for corruption, you’re only storing up trouble for yourself.
And if you’re asking about giving ‘tips’… they are not generally accepted either. So don’t. In Japan, for example, giving a tip is considered an insult, and will be likely refused.
Kenneth