離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》Minister proposes cutting utility rates
Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin attends a meeting of the Economics Committee at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNA
By Natasha Li / Staff reporter
Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin （沈榮津） yesterday suggested reducing utility rates for companies affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, but he did not go into details.
The ministry’s State-owned Enterprise Commission would “consult with Taiwan Power Co （台電） and Taiwan Water Corp （台灣自來水） this week to determine” any eventual reductions, Shen told reporters before attending a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee in Taipei.
He declined to provide concrete numbers.
During the meeting, lawmakers proposed slashing electricity and water tariffs by 5 to 20 percent, citing cuts made during the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the global financial crisis in 2008.
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng （林全能） told committee members that the ministry is seeking also to reduce rents for companies with production plants in the nation’s industrial parks.
However, lawmakers urged the ministry to also consider ways to help reduce rents for businesses outside of industrial parks, in light of growing pressure on the nation’s service sector, which is heavily dependent on domestic demand.
In a bid to stimulate the service sector, the ministry has proposed expanding government spending next quarter from NT$54.8 billion （US$1.8 billion） to NT$60.6 billion, a report it submitted to the Legislative Yuan showed.
The ministry also plans to shift an estimated NT$5.7 billion in government procurements, originally scheduled for next year, to this year, the report said.
On a positive note, returning Taiwanese firms’ investments would help boost domestic demand, the ministry said, adding that, thanks to three government programs launched early last year amid the US-China trade dispute, 406 firms have pledged a total NT$921.7 billion in investments, of which NT$304.4 billion is expected to materialize by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Lin said that Taiwan would be able to reach its target of making 13 million masks per day from early next month, after producing 12.6 million masks per day last week.
He said that Taiwan has sufficient raw materials to continue producing masks through late June, even if production needs to go up to 15 million masks per day.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
