The Cabinet has given a green light to a proposed amendment allowing the online sale of alcohol.
Premier Simon Chang (張善政) said the proposed amendment to the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act (菸酒管理法) comes at a time when online services are becoming increasingly convenient and people are spending an increasing amount of time on the Internet.
The government hopes that the convenience of online shopping would gradually bring it on par with shopping in the real world, Chang said.
Chang said he does not believe allowing the online sale of alcohol would boost alcohol consumption.
“The draft amendments to the act have strict rules on the verification of a buyer’s identity and age,” he said on Thursday.
Also, with the assistance of big data technologies, analysis can be conducted on the shopping behavior of alcohol buyers and the relevant data could be used to prevent alcohol abuse, he added.
According to the amendments drafted by the Ministry of Finance, online alcohol vendors must have an effective mechanism for confirming the identity and age of buyers. The selling party is also obliged to publish clear instructions for payment and delivery, and to post warning signs against violations.
Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ford (張盛和) said that businesses must register with the relevant authorities and would require a permit to become an online alcohol vendor.
The amended law would stipulate that deliveries must be made at convenience stores, and those performing deliveries must be able to recognize the age of the recipients.
The recipients must also pay via credit card to prove they are adults, the official said.
The draft amendments would allow punishments for those found selling alcohol to minors that are five times heavier than the existing ones, he said.
Fines would be increased from NT$10,000 to up to NT$250,000, and serious violators would be stripped of their business registration and barred from applying for reregistration for a year, he said.
The amendment proposal is to be submitted to the legislature.
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