The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday approved a draft amendment to Article 23 of the Urban Road Act (市區道路條例), which would change Motor Vehicle Fuel Usage Fees to the “public road usage and maintenance fund.”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said the fees were used for the maintenance, repair and management of public roads, and ensure that the “users pay” principle is observed.
Given the growing prevalence of electric vehicles (EVs), there is a need to change the fee’s name, he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
During the item-by-item debate at the committee, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chang Chih-lun (張智倫) questioned whether changing the fee’s name would affect electric vehicle taxes.
Chang was referring to the government suspending the fuel tax to encourage the transition to electric vehicless.
DPP Legislator Lee Po-yi (李柏毅) said the proposal does not aim to create legitimacy for another tax, but to change the fee’s name to reflect its actual use.
The legislature last year passed amendments to the Vehicle License Tax Act (使用牌照稅法) and the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例), ensuring that commodity tax preferential rates and electric vehicle owners’ waived vehicle license taxes would continue into 2030, Lee said.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Tung Chien-hung (董建宏) said that should the change be ratified, electric vehicle owners would also have to pay to use highways or public roads, per the “users should pay” principle.
The ministry is in talks with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications regarding such fees to ensure that the government’s “net zero by 2050” goal is achieved, Tung said.
Department of Public Transportation and Supervision specialist Michael Chao (趙晉緯) said the goal of encouraging the public to transition to electric vehicles has been achieved, and with the increasing number of electric vehicles on highways and expressways, they as users should also pay maintenance fees.
The details are still being discussed and would be thoroughly talked over with the Ministry of Finance, Chao added.
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