An investigation by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) into price increases of 23 consumer products has “missed the point,” because Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) and CPC Corp, Taiwan were the real catalysts behind the price hikes, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.
“What the commission should do is investigate the two state-run companies, which announced a 10.7 percent increase in [-petroleum-based] fuel prices on April 1 and a planned electricity price rise beginning on May 15,” TSU party whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a press conference.
The recent price increases of various products and services were “by-products” of the fuel and electricity price rises because manufacturers, store owners and service providers need to cope with rising costs, he said.
The commission announced on Wednesday it had launched an investigation into the prices of 23 products, including milk powder, beverages, sugar, petrochemical products, gasoline, automobiles, instant noodles, pork, chicken, eggs, shampoo and alcohol, to monitor potential price-fixing.
Despite Taiwan’s oligopoly oil market, Hsu added, the commission said it was not illegal for privately owned Formosa Petrochemical Corp to follow up with similar increases and there was no concerted price--fixing between the two companies.
Taipower is the sole electricity provider in Taiwan, he added.
“We cannot agree with the findings of the commission’s investigation, which is an impediment to free competition, and we call on the commission to investigate Taipower and CPC’s price cartel,” he said.
Hsu said the TSU demanded the commission complete investigation of the two companies before the end of June.
If the commission could fine local convenience stores for fixing the price of coffee last year and natural gas providers this year, TSU legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) said she did not know how it could ignore the two companies’ abuse of their monopolies.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS