The Hualien County Council on Wednesday rejected a Hualien County Government proposal to continue collecting a special mining tax, citing concerns over the motion’s legality.
During an extraordinary session to review 66 county government proposals, which began on Wednesday and runs until Friday next week, the council rejected a proposal to renew an ordinance to collect a tax on mining operations that was designed to protect tourist attractions.
The ordinance, in effect since 2009, allowed the local government to collect taxes on all mining operations for four years.
The regulations were changed last year to require that the ordinance be renewed yearly.
The council’s rejection stemmed from objections to the tax raised last year by Fu An Mining Co.
The county government’s 2016 version of the ordinance contravened Article 4 of the Act Governing Local Tax Regulations (地方稅法通則), as it raised the tax rate in excess of 30 percent from the original rate, Fu An said.
The 2016 version had a rate of NT$70 (US$2.51) per tonne of mined ore, an increase of NT$60 from the previous ordinance.
The Taipei High Administrative Court ruled in favor of the company and the Supreme Administrative Court in January dismissed an appeal by the Hualien County Tax Bureau.
Council Legal Regulations Office Director Yu Yu-lin (余玉琳) said that the legality and propriety of the Hualien County Government introducing the ordinance at this juncture was questionable.
Fu An filed another administrative suit against the county after the local tax bureau did not issue a refund, Yu said.
Hualien County Tax Bureau Director Lu Yu-chih (呂玉枝) said that it would contest the council’s decision and seek a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices.
Hualien County Council Speaker Chang Chun (張峻) said that although the council supports a mining tax, it must be implemented correctly, or it might become a large financial burden for residents if mining companies have to be refunded.
The ordinance’s failure to pass means that the county’s revenue would fall by at least NT$1 billion this year, the county government said.
This would affect funding for policies and destabilize the county’s financial revenue, it said, adding that it was the “darkest day” for Hualien County “since the promulgation of the Local Government Act (地方制度法).”
Hualien County Government Secretary-General Chang Yi-hua (張逸華) said that the goal of the tax was to cover the overheads for environmental protection operations, which mining operations make necessary.
The county government would continue to negotiate with the council in hopes of passing the ordinance, he said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS