The government’s efforts to crack down on tobacco-smuggling have borne fruit, resulting in the seizure of more than 6 million packs of contraband cigarettes over the past six months, Minister of Finance Sheu Yu-jer (許虞哲) said yesterday.
Since Oct. 20 last year, the Ministry of Finance, in cooperation with other government agencies, has adopted tougher measures to combat cigarette and tobacco smuggling ahead of the implementation of legislation raising the health surcharge on cigarettes from NT$10 (US$0.33) per pack to NT$20 per pack as of June 12, which might spur smuggling, Shen said.
About 6.22 million packs of smuggled cigarettes have been confiscated during the six-month period, he said.
For the first half of this month, about 1 million packs have been seized, he added.
The government has cracked down on suspicious practices, such as local fishermen having their boats registered as foreign vessels, a National Treasury Administration official said.
It has also drafted an amendment that would expand the range of smuggling inspections from within 12 nautical miles to 24 nautical miles (22.2km to 44.4km) off Taiwan, the official said, adding that the proposal would be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
The ministry urged the public to report counterfeit tobacco and alcohol products, adding that informants would be given a cash reward of up to NT$4.8 million.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
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