In a bid to battle the problem of counterfeit rice wines that are thought to have killed several people in Ilan County, the Executive Yuan yesterday established a task force to crack down on bootleg rice wines.
Local governments are currently in charge of investigating counterfeit wines, while the Ministry of Finance is responsible for issuing brewing licenses and quality control.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The Cabinet is studying the possibility of reducing taxes on distilled liquor, including rice wine.
The tobacco and wine tax of the rice wine is NT$150 per liter and will go up to NT$185 per liter in 2004.
Statistics made available by the National Police Administration yesterday showed that between January and November the police found 158 people suspected of illegally making 44,000kg of fake rice wines, including finished and semi-finished products, with an estimated market price of NT$90 million.
As of Sept. 30, nearly 300 people have been indicted for illegally manufacturing wine and tobacco.
Addressing a press conference at the Executive Yuan yesterday afternoon, Cabinet Spokesman Chuang Shuo-hang (
"Since the government's job is to ensure public health and safety, we don't allow unlicensed brewers to manufacture poor quality wines and jeopardize public health," Chuang said.
According to Susan Chang (
The Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp -- formerly the government alcohol monopoly Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board -- will join local health departments to offer free rice-wine tests.
The service will be available today and run through to the end of the year.
According to Hwang Ing-san (
"If we find any fake wine, we'll report it and let the judicial system take over," Hwang said.
Those who manufacture fake wines and cause physical damage to, or death of, an individual will face prosecution, said Vice Minister of Justice Hsieh Wen-ting (謝文定).
The Cabinet is considering more severe sentences for those unauthorized to manufacture, import or sell wines.
The Cabinet is also considering raising the bounties for investigators and individuals to encourage them to report cases.
In a bid to help consumers differentiate real wine from fraudulent bottles, the Cabinet is also considering establishing an identification system.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance yesterday requested the manufacturer of the Verolin brand rice wine to immediately stop production and sale of its products and recall those already in the market within seven days.
The ministry also called on the public to stay clear of the product, saying that it contains excessive levels of methanol, which is believed to be the component that caused the deaths in Ilan County.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and