The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said the government raised fuel prices to reflect increases in global fuel costs and to reduce long-term losses at state-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC), dismissing accusations by the Democratic Progressive Party that the fuel price increase had been delayed to influence the January presidential and legislative elections.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs scrapped restrictions on fuel price increases on Sunday and allowed CPC to raise the prices for gasoline and diesel.
The DPP accused the government of increasing fuel prices while failing to review CPC’s high personnel costs, and said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration had used adjustments to fuel price policies for election purposes.
The DPP said the legislature passed DPP Legislator Pan Men-an’s (潘孟安) proposal of freezing fuel prices and subsidizing the nation’s oil products in November 2010 and that the CPC announced the policy before the five special municipality elections that month.
Following the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 14, the Ma administration lifted the cap on fuel price increases last week and the DPP said that the fuel price increase had been delayed to avoid negatively affecting the KMT’s electoral prospects.
KMT spokesperson Lai Su-ju (賴素如) responded to the DPP’s criticism, saying the fuel price freeze was announced on Dec. 6, 2010, which was after the five special municipality elections that took place on Nov. 27.
Since December 2010, the government has been subsidizing the nation’s oil products in an attempt to stabilize consumer costs by covering half of any necessary price increase.
“Fuel price adjustments are being made to reflect the global fuel price hike,” Lai said.
“The government continues to put the public’s livelihood into consideration and the DPP should not make unnecessary connections between the fuel price increases and elections,” she said.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS