Taipei City councilors condemned the city government yesterday for cheating drivers by continuing to hold license plate number auctions even though the central government is planning to require new plates in 2011.
The councilors demanded the city government provide more information on its license plate policy.
The motor vehicle offices of local governments hold annual write-in auctions for car license plates and drivers can bid for popular number combinations, such as “8888.” Prices can go as high as NT$91 million (US$ 2.8 million) in Taipei City.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) plans to overhaul the license plate system by 2011 by adopting new plate designs and it has budgeted more than NT$4.6 billion for the program.
However, Taipei City’s Motor Vehicle Office still plans to hold an auction next year.
Independent Taipei City Councilor Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) criticized the city government, accusing it of for cheating drivers out of their money by ignoring the ministry’s plan and continuing to auction off plates to the highest bidder.
“Car plates will expire in 2011 yet the government plans to keep hosting the auction and fool people into spending money on expiring plates,” Chen told a press conference at the Taipei City Council.
Chien said drivers who placed bids on certain numbered plates were paying money to be able to use the plates, but the new policy shortened the period of time they can keep them.
“I demand that the government return part of the money to bidders in accordance with the number of years the car plates are used,” she said.
Hsu Hsiu-lung (徐秀龍), a division chief at Taipei’s Motor Vehicle Office, said the office followed the ministry’s regulations.
The plate auction will be held next year as scheduled, Hsu said, but the office will remind drivers about the plate renewal policy on the auction bid application.
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