Environmental groups today submitted a petition to the Executive Yuan calling on the government to stop tax relief and subsidy programs incentivizing the construction of garbage incinerators.
The Ministry of Environment (MOENV) has allowed government agencies of all levels that operate incinerators to apply the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects (促進民間參與公共建設法) and receive five-year tax exemptions, plus further tax reductions and subsidies.
The groups called upon the Ministry of Finance and the MOENV to amend the act and further revise the definition of “major public infrastructure projects.”
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The Executive Yuan said that it has heard the request and would arrange for the MOENV and related agencies to review the matter.
Incineration and waste burial costs should be borne by waste producers and based on the amount of waste they generate, Taiwan Watch Institute secretary-general Herlin Hsieh (謝和霖) said, calling the current tax scheme unfair and unjust.
Changhua County already has nine incinerators, yet developers continue to propose new incinerators and landfill sites, with the county processing more industrial waste than it produces, Changhua Environmental Protection Union researcher Lin Cheng-han (林政翰) said.
Profit-hungry developers are using government subsidies and tax relief programs funded by taxpayers' money, while the public suffers from the resulting pollution, he added, calling for an immediate end to the policy.
The Executive Yuan’s Department of Transportation, Environment and Natural Resources accepted the petition.
The groups and the government share the same goal of addressing waste issues, and their demands have been heard, department Deputy Director Huang Chih-yuan (黃志元) said.
The petition would be forwarded to the MOENV and relevant agencies, which would work to review the petition and resolve waste disposal issues, he added.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS