The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday blocked a government-sponsored amendment to the Securities and Exchange Act (證券交易法) that would have cut the 0.3 percent stock transaction tax in half to boost the stock market.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus planned to get the bill passed yesterday after placing it on the agenda for a second reading last Friday, even though it hadn’t received a preliminary review from the legislative committee.
But the DPP caucus proposed a motion that would refer the bill to the legislature’s Finance Committee for preliminary review — a regular review process that bills are supposed to go through — meaning the bill will have its second reading next month at the earliest.
The legislative session passed an amendment to the Gender Equality in Employment Law (性別工作平等法), raising the punishment for employers in violation of regulations on adopting precautionary measures against sexual harassment.
Fines were increased from between NT$10,000 and NT$100,000 to NT$100,000 and NT$500,000.
An amendment to the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選舉罷免法) requiring the government to set up disabled-friendly facilities in voting stations was also passed.
The legislature passed the Organic Act of Taiwan Financial Holdings Co, Ltd (台灣金融控股有限公司條例) to give legal status to the state-owned corporation.
The act states that the amount of the corporation’s government-owned capital shall be no less than 90 percent of its registered capital, while the number of executives sitting on its 13-to-15-member board who are foreigners or hold dual nationality shall not exceed two.
Meanwhile, the legislature yesterday scheduled a review session for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominee for president of the Examination Yuan, John Kuan (關中), and the nominee for vice president of the Control Yuan, Chen Jinn-lih (陳進利), for next Friday.
The legislature also passed an amendment to the Statute Regulating Firearms, Ammunition, Knives and Other Deadly Weapons (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例) that means people who illegally obtain such weapons will have their punishment increased by up to one half.
Under current regulations, people possessing such weapons without permission can recieve the death penalty, a life sentence or a seven-year sentence and a fine of up to NT$30 million (US$1 million).
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
Taiwan has recorded its first fatal case of Coxsackie B5 enterovirus in 10 years after a one-year-old boy from southern Taiwan died from complications early last month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. CDC spokesman Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) told a news conference that the child initially developed a fever and respiratory symptoms before experiencing seizures and loss of consciousness. The boy was diagnosed with acute encephalitis and admitted to intensive care, but his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away on the sixth day of illness, Lo said. This also marks Taiwan’s third enterovirus-related death this year and the first severe
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