Stricter regulations proved effective in protecting farmland, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) said on Monday in response to Yilan County acting commissioner Derek Chen’s (陳金德) criticism of a tax policy Lin implemented.
Chen was appointed acting commissioner on Nov. 6 after he resigned as CPC Corp, Taiwan chairman in response to widespread power outages on Aug. 15.
Upon taking office, Chen said he would cancel county taxes on structures built in the middle of farmland, which Lin implemented last year during his term as county commissioner.
The policy is flawed, Chen said, adding that tax revenues from the regulation should be returned to farm owners.
The COA’s regulation that farmhouses should be built on the corners of farmland or by the roadside is illegitimate, as the Agricultural Development Act (農業發展條例) does not make such a stipulation, Chen said on Saturday
The regulation is aimed at preventing further fragmenting of farmland, COA Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chun (陳吉仲) said at a news conference in Taipei on Monday.
The regulation corresponds with Article 18 of the act, which stipulates that structures on farmland should be built for agricultural purposes, he said.
People should apply for special permits to build houses on farmland and ensure that 90 percent of their land is used for agriculture, he said.
Since 2015, stricter regulations have successfully curbed illegal construction of structures on farmland, with a 77.87 percent reduction recorded last year, Lin said on Facebook.
As for higher taxes on illegal farmhouses, the Yilan District Court had overruled an administrative lawsuit filed by a resident last year, on the grounds that the tax policy did not violate the House Tax Act (房屋稅條例), Lin said.
The county government yesterday issued Chen a NT$60,000 fine over a Wujie Township (五結) property he uses as a bed-and-breakfast.
Chen promised to avoid a conflict of interest.
Additional reporting by CNA
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS