Premier Frank Hsieh (
"To raise utility prices is not that simple. It requires expert evaluation and the legislature's final approval, so it will definitely take a while," the premier said.
"There is no need to panic but I would sincerely urge the public to help conserve more electric power and water anyway," he said.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
The premier made his remarks during the opening speech of the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
He said that there are three concerns for the government to consider when it came to raising utility prices.
"First of all, the market mechanism is the most important thing; secondly, [we must adhere to] the government's economic policies; finally [we must adhere to] the government's energy policies," the premier said.
In the meantime, Hsieh also said that the proposal to raise utility prices was meant to encourage the public to conserve as many resources as possible.
"If the prices remain unchanged, people will not learn the lesson that our resources will not always be available. In addition, if people do not consume that much, we will not have to come up with other solutions, such as establishing more nuclear power plants, to solve the problem of power shortages," Hsieh said.
As for gas prices, the premier said that the government would not take action at the moment. He would not say whether gas prices would go up in the near future.
Yesterday was also Hsieh's first time to not wear his jacket and tie to work. Instead, he put on grey "island wear" to meet the press and his fellow Cabinet members.
"Island wear" shirts are popular and are regarded as formal wear for men in Southeast Asia and many South Pacific countries.
"Wearing `island wear' is cool and convenient, and will help conserve power since we do not have to rely on air conditioning so much," Hsieh said.
The idea of men wearing less formal attire to work originated in Japan, which has introduced a casual dress code so that office air conditioners can be turned down to save electricity and help the country reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the measure, air-conditioners must be set at 28?C. Men will not have to wear a suit and tie between June 1 and Sept. 30, so that more air-conditioners can be turned down, or off.
The idea was first mentioned here to Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (
Cho acknowledged the idea, and said that he would report it to Hsieh.
"I like this. It is comfortable. But the blemish is that the shirt does not have enough pockets for me, so I cannot carry as many items as I did in my suit and tie," Hsieh said.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS