A major trade group yesterday called on the government to use water surcharges only as a last resort to encourage water conservation, saying that the measure would not resolve ongoing water shortages and would increase corporate operating costs.
As Taiwan faces its worst water shortage in 56 years, government officials have revived talks about imposing water surcharges on heavy water users — namely manufacturers of electronics, and steel and textile products, as well as dyeing and finishing service providers.
Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) yesterday told a legislative hearing that the ministry would draw up a bill by the end of this year to pave the way for water surcharges to be collected next year, at the earliest.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Rock Hsu (許勝雄), chairman of the Third Wednesday Club (三三會), a trade group whose membership is limited to the top 100 firms in each business sector, said that the government should boost water management efficiency and only use water surcharges as a last resort.
“Taiwan can learn from Israel, a world leader in water technology and innovation, by pouring funds into infrastructure projects to make the most use of its water resources,” Hsu told reporters before the club’s monthly gathering.
Hsu, who is also the founder of Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), the world’s No. 2 contract laptop maker, said that electronics firms, especially semiconductor makers, are heavy water users and are concerned that the shortage might affect their production.
Taiwan ranks high globally with regards to precipitation, but there is a lot of room for improvement in its handling of water shortages, and transporting water from the mountains to areas lacking water, Hsu said, adding that he has long promoted the idea of desalination.
Water surcharges would not help increase the nation’s water supply, but would add to manufacturers’ production costs, running contrary to the government’s efforts to attract investment, he said.
Local technology firms, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), have made a great effort to reuse their wastewater, Hsu added.
The government should rather approach the issue from the perspective of enhancing water management efficiency, he said.
Hsu also urged the government to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination process, as the US and European countries might soon vaccinate the bulk of their population and resume normal economic activity.
“Taiwan might then be isolated on the world stage owing to it not having access to vaccines,” Hsu said, adding that the authorities should be more flexible when buying vaccines and grooming local vaccine developers.
The trade group also said that it wants to visit Japan and China toward the end of this year.
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