Legislature passes ‘anti-Uber’ and other amendments

By Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed amendments to the Highway Act (公路法) that would increase the penalty for illegal transportation services, a move widely seen as targeting Uber.

Despite Uber Taiwan’s long-running protests, which culminated in an advertisement published in two major Chinese-language newspapers late last month, the legislature passed the amendments to increase the penalty for illegal transportation service operators from a maximum fine of NT$150,000 (US$4,692) to NT$25 million.

The amended act also states that the government could force an illegal operator to suspend its business and that drivers illegally providing transportation services could have their driver’s licenses and vehicle license plates suspended for four months to one year or revoked.

There would be a two-year prohibition period before the suspended drivers could reapply fora driver’s license.

“It is undeniable that Uber Taiwan has not been paying taxes, included in the [related] insurance systems or under the government’s regulations, and its publication of ads was an act of brazen confrontation of the public authority, which is not acceptable to lawmakers, the government or society,” said Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), a member of the legislature’s Transportation Committee.

Another committee member, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Hsueh-sheng (陳雪生), agreed that the ad was in blatant defiance of government authority, but said the new penalties for contravening the act were not heavy enough.

Among the other amendments passed by the legislature yesterday were a change to the Securities Transaction Tax Act (證券交易稅條例) to extend the exemption of the tax levied on corporate bonds and finance bonds for another 10 years, including bond ETFs (exchange-traded funds).

Under the current act, the exemption was set to expire on Jan. 1.

The Midwifery Act (助產人員法) was also amended to allow midwives to work in postpartum care institutions and other institutions authorized by the authorities.

At present, midwives are only allowed to work shifts at postpartum nursing centers in emergent or preauthorized cases, said KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏), a member of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee.

Additional reporting by CNA