《TAIPEI TIMES》 Carbon fees might start next year

/ Staff writer, with CNA

The government intends to start collecting carbon fees from enterprises that emit greenhouse gases from the second half of next year, Environmental Protection Administration （EPA） Minister Chang Tzi-chin （張子敬） said yesterday.

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The government would introduce a carbon fee scheme, including pricing for direct and indirect emissions, later this year, Chang said at a ceremony to open a preparatory office for a climate change agency.

An EPA committee would review and finalize the carbon pricing plan early next year, and the government would hopefully start collecting fees in the second half of the year, he said.

He offered few other details on the plan and did not directly respond to questions about whether the EPA would adopt suggestions to initially set the carbon fee at NT$500 per tonne in line with international standards.

A flat rate might force enterprises to simply pass on the higher costs they face to customers, he said.

Incentives such as discounts on carbon fees might be included to encourage enterprises to invest in measures to reduce their carbon footprint, he said.

The fee scheme would be one of the new office’s major responsibilities, in line with the requirements of the Climate Change Response Act （氣候變遷因應法）, which was promulgated in February.

Preparatory office head Tsai Ling-yi （蔡玲儀） said that the office, which has 48 staff, would also be responsible for monitoring the efforts of other government agencies to achieve the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

The office would also help prepare Taiwanese enterprises to respond to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, under which tariffs would be imposed on carbon-intensive products exported to the EU beginning in 2026, she said.

Premier Chen Chien- jen （陳建仁） said at the ceremony that the office’s inauguration marked “a crucial step” in the government’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and showed Taiwan’s determination to achieve its net zero target.

While achieving net zero would be challenging, the effort is necessary for companies to maintain their competitiveness in international markets and for Taiwan to ensure its sustainable development, he said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES