The People First Party legislative caucus said yesterday it would boycott the budget of the Ministry of Transportation and Commun-ications if the Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co., the operator of the the electronic toll collection system for the nation's freeways, continues to cut down service hours at its retail stores.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported yesterday that a Far Eastern retail store in Tai-chung had been closed and 18 of the company's other stores have shortened their office hours by three hours.
In a report to the caucus, Lee Tai-ming (李泰明), Director-General of the National Expressway Bureau, said he was not aware of Far Eastern's changes until he read about them in the newspaper yesterday.
Lee said he had ordered his staff to research the issue before he left to meet with the caucus.
"We will take care of this matter based on what's stated in the contract," Lee said.
The fact that Lee just assumed his post at the bureau on Monday did not stop the legislators from grilling him over controversies related to the electronic toll collection system.
PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
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