The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday announced that 11.73 million households and small shops would receive an NT$800 (US$25.18) rebate in their first electricity bill next year.
Minister of Economic Affairs John Deng (鄧振中) told a news conference that Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is expected to record a NT$9.38 billion profit this year, thanks to a steep decline in global oil prices.
“We decided to calculate the rebate amount based on NT$9.4 billion instead of NT$9.38 billion [for simplicity] and the result is about NT$800 per household,” Deng said, adding that the figure was arrived at as the result of negotiations with lawmakers.
Photo: CNA
Deng’s remarks contradict reports that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰) on Monday night said he had asked the ministry to raise the amount from NT$763 to NT$800 to simplify the calculations.
Under the plan, about 3.43 million households will not have to pay their first bill next year, since their average electricity use is less than NT$800, Deng said.
Taipower president Chu Wen-chen (朱文成) said the company is to give 10.8 million households and 930,000 small shops the rebate when it starts sending out next year’s first electricity bill on Tuesday next week.
“Nearly 90 percent of those eligible, or 10.2 million households and small shops, will receive the refund before the Lunar New Year holiday,” Chu said. “People whose electricity fees are less than NT$800 will receive the rest of the rebate in subsequent electricity bills.”
Deng said he hopes the legislature will approve a proposal for a new electricity pricing formula as soon as possible that would more accurately reflect the cost of power generation.
“Otherwise, Taipower will have to go through discussions on how to share profits with the public again next year,” Deng said.
During the news conference, several reporters cast doubt over the amount of profit the power company is projected to earn, because Deng had put the figure at NT$9 billion several times before.
“We did not increase the amount at lawmakers’ request. The profit figure was calculated by Taipower on Monday afternoon based on the latest data,” Deng said, reiterating that it had been his and the company’s idea to calculate the refund based on a NT$9.4 billion profit, not Fai’s.
The ministry did not inform the Democratic Progressive Party, the Taiwan Solidarity Union or the People First Party about the plan.
Deng said that from now on, the ministry would notify the legislative caucuses before making major policy announcements.
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