Vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) condemned the government for freezing gasoline and utility prices and forcing the poor to share the cost of those who consume more petroleum and said the new administration will adopt a different fuel policy after May 20.
Siew’s remarks echoed those of premier-designate Liu Chao-shiuan’s (劉兆玄) comments made in an interview on Thursday that the new administration would raise fuel prices immediately after taking office.
“On the surface, everyone enjoyed low gasoline and utility prices, but actually the policy benefited those who consume more petroleum. Such a measure is against social justice and it’s unfair,” Siew said yesterday when addressing an economic forum at Taipei International Convention Center.
Utility prices have been frozen since November last year, despite the rise in international crude oil prices, and the Cabinet said it would maintain the price freeze until it hands over power to the new government.
Siew promised to carry out a comprehensive social welfare policy, and give subsidies to low-income families in response to the upcoming gas and utility price hike.
The vice president-elect said that economic growth would not be the only goal of the new administration, as the nation was already a mature economic entity, adding that seeking social justice and substantial development would also be priorities while the new administration carries out its economic policies.
Siew promised to narrow the income gap between the rich and the poor by reviewing the tax policy.
Under president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Siews’ economic platform, the new administration will introduce a tax relief plan that would include tax refunds for low-income families whose annual income was under NT$480,000.
Families with annual incomes of NT$360,000 or less do not pay tax. Such families would also receive a subsidy that equals 13 percent of their annual income, or up to NT$46,800, per year under his proposal.
Siew said the new government would also encourage companies to create their own brands and cultivate talent, and would attract international companies to invest in local businesses in Taiwan.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
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