The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a draft amendment that proposes a tax cut of up to NT$400,000 for people replacing old trucks with new ones, as it moves to control traffic pollution by providing incentives instead of imposing bans.
People who scrap old trucks manufactured before Sept. 30, 2006, and buy new ones would get a tax reduction of up to NT$400,000 per vehicle, with the policy covering the period from Aug. 18, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2022, according to the draft amendment to Article 12-6 of the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例).
People purchasing electric appliances with government-recognized energy-efficiency certificates would get a tax cut of up to NT$2,000 within two years after the draft amendment to the act’s Article 11-1 takes effect.
Photo: Chang Yi-chen, Taipei Times
The proposed changes aim to save energy, curb carbon emissions and improve air quality, without increasing the burden on people, the Executive Yuan said.
In related developments, a government goal to ban sales of new gasoline-powered scooters by 2035 and gasoline-powered vehicles by 2040 that then-premier William Lai’s (賴清德) Cabinet announced in December 2017 might be suspended due to opposition from automakers.
Air pollution policies may have to be further adjusted in view of possible repercussions from Lai’s policy proposal, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Wednesday.
While continuing to promote electric vehicles, the government should allow room for development of eco-friendly gasoline-powered scooters, Lin said.
The change might affect the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) policy to some degree, but it would still to be able to reduce pollution from other sources, Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Director-General Wu Sheng-chung (吳盛忠) said.
The government is encouraging people to replace old vehicles that emit more pollution by providing economic incentives, instead of imposing bans, Wu said.
The EPA earlier this month announced draft amendments to regulations governing subsidies for replacing old vehicles, with the timeframe extended from the end of this year to 2022.
It also canceled a plan to tighten emissions standards for vehicles that are older than 10 years, as stipulated in amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) in August last year.
Asked if the government is changing its policy to avoid angering vehicle owners as it did before the local elections on Nov. 24 last year, Wu said: “The key is to achieve its purpose [of reducing pollution], while avoiding conflict.”
Additional reporting by Cheng Wei-chi
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