The Lanyu Township Office said it is mulling implementing an “environmental tax” — roughly NT$200 to NT$250 per person — for visitors to Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼).
Lanyu Mayor Chang Ching-lai (張慶來) said the township cannot handle the number of tourists who visit the island, adding that summer is especially hard on the island’s environment and ecology.
Last year, 120,000 people visited the island, with tourist-generated garbage amounting to 1 tonne per day during the off-season and as much as 4 tonnes per day in the summer, Chang said.
The township’s landfill is already at capacity and excess garbage has to be shipped back to Taiwan proper for further processing, he said, adding that the township’s garbage overhead costs were higher than any other county or township.
The office does not have enough staff to deal with the environmental damage caused by tourists every year, so it is contemplating adding the “tax” to visitors’ travel costs, regardless of how they arrive on the island, Chang said.
Jiranmilek Village Warden Hsieh Nan-hai (謝南海) said he supported the idea, as garbage processing is an important issue for residents of the island, but added that the details of the proposed tax’s implementation and supplementary measures must be made clear.
One local tour agency said that some visitors to the island sometimes hop between islands on one trip; for example, staying on Orchid Island for half a day before traveling to Green Island (綠島) to stay the night.
“However, travelers leave their garbage behind for the Lanyu Township Office to clean up,” the agency said, adding that implementation of the tax might serve to check the amount of trash left behind by tourists who stay for less than a day.
The agency cited Palau as an example, where tourists are required to pay thousands of New Taiwan dollars for the nation’s cleanup and environmental protection efforts, saying that Orchid Island could emulate such policies under the township’s self-autonomous regulations.
Taitung County Government Tax Bureau Director Lee Su-chin (李素琴) said that while self-autonomous regulations allow townships to levy a temporary tax for two years and counties and cities to levy special or temporary taxes for four years, such proposals must be sent to the central government for approval.
According to Lee, Green Island in 2003 proposed the same idea, but the Ministry of Finance rejected the request, saying that members of the public have the right to freely travel to and from the island, making a levy on tourists unfair.
The Pingtung County Government has met with the same problem at scenic sties on Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球), Lee added.
The Taitung Environmental Protection Bureau said it has yet to receive the specifics of the office’s proposal, adding that it would issue an official response after looking into the matter.
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