A bill to establish a ministry of digital development is expected to pass a third reading at the legislature today, a source said on Saturday.
If the bill is passed, the Executive Yuan would assemble a task force to prepare for the new ministry, likely requiring six to seven months, the source said.
The ministry would develop the software and digital service industries, upgrade traditional industries and other enterprises, and create a globally competitive and innovative base in digital technologies, Minister Without Portfolio Kuo Yau-hwang (郭耀煌) said on March 25.
The ministry would also oversee interdepartmental coordination on cybersecurity, and foster a domestic cybersecurity technology sector, he said.
In response to a proposal by the Executive Yuan that a cybersecurity bureau and national cybersecurity research institute be established as part of the new ministry, several lawmakers across party lines had suggested that a separate agency to focus on economic and scientific applications of digital technology also be established.
The specifics of such an agency remain to be worked out by lawmakers, the source said.
“The proposed ministry has a high degree of support among lawmakers, so if a consensus can be reached on all the details, it is likely the bill will be passed,” the source said.
Other bills that the Executive Yuan is to vote on at today’s session include an amendment to the Act of Gender Equality in Employment (性別工作平等法) to raise the number of days that employees can leave work for monthly pregnancy-related medical appointments and a four-year extension to a licensing tax exemption for electric vehicles.
A bill to resolve legal issues arising from private schools exiting the market amid a declining birthrate is also on the agenda, the source said.
If the bill regarding the new ministry is not passed today, it would be rescheduled for an extraordinary session next month, the source said.
The proposed amendment to the Act of Gender Equality in Employment would increase the number of leave days from the current five to eight or 10, and lawmakers hope for a quick resolution on the bill, the source said.
The private-schools bill would determine whether the government could appropriate property belonging to private high schools, vocational schools and colleges that exit the market, the source said.
The government should allow lower-ranked private universities to leave the market and claim the properties, while improving resources in higher education and directing investment toward private universities, Lin Po-yi (林柏儀), head of organization at the Taiwan Higher Education Union, said on Jan. 20 last year.
If the Vehicle License Tax Act (使用牌照稅法) is amended today, it would extend a tax exemption for electric vehicles and benefit an estimated 11,000 new vehicle owners annually while helping the environment, the source said.
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