Most drivers with outstanding freeway toll fees did not pay their bills because they forgot or did so in protest against the freeway Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system, a National Freeway Bureau survey showed.
The system was implemented in December 2013, billing drivers automatically per kilometer traveled on freeways. Since then, outstanding bills have accumulated to more than NT$800 million (US$28.54 million).
The bureau had tasked Taiwan Real Survey Co to find out why drivers do not pay toll fees and if they know the legal consequences.
The survey showed that 47.2 percent of drivers with outstanding fees said they forgot to pay, while 41 percent said they purposely did not pay, as they were dissatisfied with the toll collection policy.
Twenty-eight percent said they did not pay their due fees because of financial difficulties, while 21.4 percent said they thought they would not get caught for not paying, the survey showed.
However, when asked in general why people might skip their payments, 35.3 percent of respondents said they believed it was in protest against the system, it showed.
About 27 percent said that people might have forgotten to pay, while 26.2 percent said financial difficulties might be the main reason, the survey showed.
Nearly 22 percent said people might believe they would not be punished for not paying, it showed.
However, 69.4 percent said they are aware that they might have to pay administrative and late fees if they miss their due dates, it showed.
About 53 percent said they know that the Administrative Enforcement Agency would be in charge of collecting overdue fees if those billed keep ignoring notifications, the survey showed.
Nearly 90 percent said that it is unfair and unjust that some drivers do not pay their fees.
Kao Shih-yuan (高世垣), a consultant at the polling firm, said that the National Freeway Bureau should explore further why some drivers do not pay their fees, incentivize payment and increase fines.
Drivers with overdue fees should be notified of the consequences of their inaction, Kao said, adding that payments through cloud systems should be accepted.
Eric Yu (俞振華), an associate professor in National Chengchi University’s politics department, said that the phenomenon of drivers being unwilling to pay their fees might have been influenced by controversies when the Electronic Toll Collection system replaced a manual system.
“The contractor running the ETC system clearly has an image issue and needs to reshape it. Meanwhile, people need to know why they need to pay toll fees and what the government uses the money for,” Yu said.
Bureau data showed that payments would contribute to the Freeway Construction Fund, which is used to construct and maintain freeways.
The fund’s accumulated debt exceeds NT$150 billion, with revenue of NT$22 billion to NT$23 billion per year and a payment default rate of 0.8 percent.
Last year, 50,000 ETC account holders with unpaid fees of more than NT$300 each were reported to the Administrative Enforcement Agency.
Ninety-eight percent of them owed less than NT$20,000, while 11 account holders owed more than NT$200,000, the bureau said, adding that the highest overdue bill was NT$850,000.
The survey, which was conducted from June 18 to 20, collected 1,082 valid samples. The margin of error was 2.98 percent.
‘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 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
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
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS