Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) has proposed amendments to increase penalties for using forged license plates, as their use has skyrocketed to avoid heightened penalties for traffic infractions.
The surge in fake plates followed changes to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) last year, leading to safety issues and other related problems.
Hung proposed an additional NT$60,000 (US$1,864) fine for those who are caught with altered or counterfeit plates more than once, and for the vehicle to be impounded.
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Taipei Times
Hung urged the Ministry of Justice to review and consider Criminal Code articles 212 and 216, which lay out penalties for forging official documents, to protect the public and reduce the number of counterfeit plates.
Between January and August, the police had 658 cases of counterfeit plates, an increase of more than 301 percent from the 164 cases during the same period last year, the latest National Police Agency statistics showed.
Although there has been progress, a quick search online reveals ads for custom fake license plates that can be modified to suit passenger cars, commercial trucks, motorcycles and more, Hung said.
Some ads even offer to forge vehicle registration certificates if one provides the needed information, Hung added.
Under Article 12 of the act, the penalty for using forged, altered or fraudulently obtained license plates is between NT$3600 and NT$18000, he said.
Given that it is lower than the fine for a speeding ticket, the government is encouraging this type of crime, Hung said.
He proposed that the penalty be changed to NT$10,000 and NT$60,000, along with additional fines and the confiscation of the vehicle for repeat offenders.
The National Police Agency has seen an increase in fake plates over the past two years and has instructed officers to use cameras to scan and investigate suspicious plates in real-time, as well as to trace the source of the counterfeit plates, National Police Agency Traffic Bureau head Chen Ming-chih (陳明志) said.
One-sixth of fake plate cases involve legally registered vehicles being used for illegal or improper purposes, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Department of Public Transportation and Supervision specialist Michael Chao (趙晉緯) said.
The next steps include discussions with police about whether to increase penalties, working with online selling platforms such as Yahoo! and Shopee to remove fake plate listings, as well as investigating sellers on social media, he said.
Customs authorities would also increase their efforts to crack down on fake plate imports, Chao added.
Anti-fraud laws require digital platforms, such as Google, Meta and Line, to verify the identities of individuals before allowing them to place ads on their platform, Ministry of Digital Affairs official Huang Mei-ching (黃美靜) said.
If fraudulent ads are posted, then the platforms must take them down in accordance with the law or face punishment, she said.
These platforms should work with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to establish lines of communication, Huang added.
There have been many suggestions to increase penalties under Articles 212 and 216, which the ministry would actively discuss and consider future changes to, Ministry of Justice official Lee Ssu-ta (李思達) 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
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS