The Taipei High Administrative Court on Tuesday upheld fines issues to seven snorkeling companies on Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) for conspiring to increase prices during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court said that it upheld the penalties issued by the Fair Trade Commission following an appeal by seven of the 21 companies, which were fined NT$100,000 to NT$150,000 by the commission in February last year.
The case dates to 2021, when snorkeling and scuba tour companies on the Pingtung County-administered island were ordered to close from May 8 to Aug. 24, before being allowed to reopen with health restrictions in place.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
During that time, the commission found that the Xiaoliu Tourism Development Association and 21 snorkeling companies on Siaoliouciou held a meeting on Aug. 18, 2021, at which they agreed to uniformly raise the standard rate for snorkeling customers to NT$400 from NT$300 to NT$350.
The commission ruled that the companies had engaged in concerted action forbidden by Article 15 of the Fair Trade Act (公平交易法).
However, it said it issued “relatively low” fines in consideration of the financial difficulties the firms faced at the time.
Following the decision, seven of the companies appealed, arguing that the price hike was only a “recommendation,” and was necessary to offset losses from the months-long forced closure of their businesses.
Even after being allowed to reopen, the maximum number of customers a guide could take out was capped at five, down from 10, and mouthpieces on snorkeling masks had to be replaced after every use, resulting in higher costs, they said.
On Tuesday, the court sided with the commission, saying that the companies had acted jointly to restrict the free setting and competitive adjustment of prices, thus harming the rights of consumers.
The court cited messages in a group on the Line messaging app, meeting minutes and a joint statement issued by the companies that showed they discussed and passed a resolution to increase prices in a concerted manner.
Even though the resolution was not binding, all but one of the firms raised their prices to NT$400 and agreed to mutually supervise each other by uploading info on any company that unilaterally lowered its prices, the court said.
The ruling can be appealed.
Two executives of drone supplier Jiin Ming Industry Co (錦明實業) have been detained and held incommunicado over the company's alleged use of prohibited China-made chips and camera lenses in drones supplied under recent military contracts, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office said today. In a statement, prosecutors said they raided the offices of Jiin Ming — headquartered in Taoyuan — as well as those of its subsidiaries and its suppliers on Thursday last week. The raids followed a report that the company had breached its procurement contracts by putting the prohibited components into drones delivered to the military. During the raids, prosecutors summoned
The government would continue monitoring online rumors that a pneumonic plague outbreak has spread from Russia into China and could enhance existing quarantine measures, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said today. During a legislative meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said rumors were circulating that the disease had spread across several Chinese provinces. He asked Cho whether the government was prepared to prevent the disease from spreading to Taiwan, given the frequent exchanges between Taiwan and China, and how concerned the government was about the alleged outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Welfare implemented border quarantine measures after briefing the Executive Yuan
South Korean boy band BigBang drew 120,000 fans to three concerts at Taipei Dome from Friday through yesterday, as the band thanked them for their support over their 20-year career. The Taipei Dome concerts were part of BigBang's "2026-2027 World Tour XX: Cosmos." Friday's concert was BigBang's first performance in Taiwan in 11 years. During the encore, group leader G-Dragon (GD) shouted "I love you" in Chinese and said he was especially happy to perform in Taiwan with bandmates Taeyang and Daesung. "Taipei, I'm very grateful to you all," GD said in Chinese, asking fans to wait for the band's return. Daesung thanked
DETAILED PLAN NEEDED: Relocating the airport would affect not just travelers, but also undermine national defense and emergency medical services, a legislator said Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday proposed relocating Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and turning the site into an artificial intelligence (AI) park, drawing opposition from politicians across party lines. Chiang’s plan would turn the 300 hectares into an AI park featuring tech clusters, residential communities and green space. The industrial cluster would host 200 domestic enterprises, generate NT$12 trillion (US$376.47 billion) in output, and accommodate 65,000 jobs and 35,000 residents, he said. Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said the Executive Yuan was surprised by the announcement, as the Taipei City Government did not discuss the proposal with the central government before making
RSS