TAIPEI – Professional Drivers’ Union files complain against Uber Taiwan for tax evasion

The Taipei City Professional Drivers’ Union filed a formal complaint Friday against Uber Taiwan for tax evasion – the union’s first legal action against Uber amid controversy over the ridesharing giant’s legal status in Taiwan.

President of the Taipei City Professional Drivers’ Union Cheng Li-chia submitted the union’s petition to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office Friday morning. The petition named Uber Taiwan General Manager Gu Li-kai as a responsible party.

“If the government remains undeterred by our protests and fails to suspend Uber Taiwan before it complies with the law – or before a law is established to regulate the sharing economy – we will not hesitate to take further action to fight for fair competition,” Cheng said.

Cheng cited other tax evasion cases, in which liable companies were forced to suspend businesses operations on short notice.

“Why is there a double-standard for law enforcement? Is the government afraid of provoking foreign companies?” Cheng asked.

The union quoted Article 41 of the Tax Collection Act, which stipulates “a taxpayer who evades tax payment by fraud or other unjust means shall receive a prison sentence of more than five years, detention, or will face a fine of no more than NT$60,000 (S$2,560).”

“Uber evaded tax duties, but the government can’t see!” a dozen taxi drivers chanted outside the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.

The National Taxation Bureau on Thursday evening announced they are “ready to take action against Uber Taiwan,” saying they estimate the company has evaded over NT$100 million in taxes.

‘Extreme measures’

Cheng said Uber Taiwan knowingly compelled drivers to take part in the illegal business.

According to Criminal Code Article 153, “a person who, via writing, images, word of mouth, or other means” publicly incites another individual to violate the law or disobey a legal order “shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than two years, short-term imprisonment, or a fine of not more than NT$1,000.”

Cheng called on the government to make “appropriate decisions” at the next meeting scheduled for August 26.

“If our right to legally work as taxi driver is lost, we will take extreme measures to protect our rights to work and rights to survival,” he said.

Tokyo – A powerful typhoon was on course for a direct hit on Tokyo on Monday, with nearly 400 flights grounded due to heavy rain and strong winds.

Strong typhoon Mindulle was expected to make landfall around noon, moving upwards from the Japanese capital to the northern Tohoku region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Packing gusts up to 180kmh, the storm was heading north at a speed of 25km per hour from Miyake island in early morning, the agency said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage on Miyake, an island of around 2,600 residents which is known for fishing, tourism and farming.

“In Tokyo… please exercise caution for landslides, flooding in low lying areas, surging rivers, violent wind and high waves,” the weather agency said.

The storm caused airlines across the country to cancel a total of 387 flights, mostly to and from Tokyo’s Haneda airport, national broadcaster NHK said.

Japan Airlines said it cancelled 145 domestic flights through mid-afternoon, affecting 26,910 customers, while All Nippon Airways cancelled 96 domestic flights, affecting 21,300 passengers.

Major train services in Tokyo and its surrounding region operated normally during the morning commuting hours, including super fast bullet trains, according to East Japan Railway, the region’s biggest railway operator.

Separately, typhoon Kompasu, which hit Japan’s northern main island of Hokkaido Sunday, had been downgraded to a temperate depression by early Monday and moved away into the Sea of Okhotsk, according to the weather agency.

Heavy rains since Saturday caused high waves and rivers to flood in Hokkaido, but caused only three minor injuries.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

AFP, Reuters

TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday that her government should not be measured by its performance in the first 100 days of its mandate, as she marked the beginning of her fourth month in office, the Central News Agency reported.

“I don’t want to see others pass judgment on my governance based on the first 100 days,” said Tsai, who took office on May 20. “By the same token, I won’t pass judgment on Cabinet members based only on the first 100 days of their tenures.”

Tsai was presenting her policy aims at a gathering with local and foreign media at the Taipei Guest House.

She said that reform takes time and that she would not back off when faced with difficulties or a lack of progress in the short term.

Tsai said her government would not shy away from admitting and correcting mistakes, and would not be afraid to make bold steps when it thinks it is doing the right thing.

The president said that over the past three months her policy plans could be divided into four major goals: to solve social problems that have long plagued Taiwan, to push for various kinds of reform, to build a new economic model for the island and to maintain regional peace and communication with other countries.

She said that her government had succeeded in introducing a law to handle political parties’ “ill-gotten assets.”

Tsai said she will personally head a presidential committee to arrange a national affairs meeting to discuss judicial reform, which the president described as the biggest concern for Taiwan.

One of the biggest challenges for the Tsai administration is to work out a pension reform for the financially strapped island with a population that is ageing quickly.

Such a reform would likely see cuts in payments to a large number of civil servants whose pensions are generally much higher than those of laborers, and the Tsai government has already seen conflicts arise between the two groups.

Changes to the national annuity scheme must not be biased against any occupation, Tsai said at the gathering with the media. Neither should changes harm the interests of the underprivileged, she said.

She said that there should not be payment cuts for those whose pensions are already below average, such as military servicemen who retired years ago on a low-pension scheme.

But she said any reform push must also understand the complaints of those who enjoy “excessive” pensions.

“The annuity reform is not meant to encourage a group of people to fight another group of people,” the president said. “It is not a call on a class to stand up against another class.”

She said the goal of the annuity reform is to create a sustainable pension system to protect the livelihood of retirees.

TOKYO – In a mirrorless car, cameras replace the side mirrors mounted near the left and right doors, and the driver uses monitors inside the car to make safety checks. The rearview mirror is replaced with a monitor, which shows images taken by a camera mounted on the back of the vehicle.

Japanese automobile and parts manufacturers are developing “mirrorless vehicles” that use cameras and monitors instead of traditional rearview and side mirrors.

In June, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry lifted a ban on designing and manufacturing mirrorless vehicles. Actual sales are expected to start around 2018, but hurdles regarding safety and other areas still need to be cleared.

In a mirrorless car, cameras replace the side mirrors mounted near the left and right doors, and the driver uses monitors inside the car to make safety checks. The rearview mirror is replaced with a monitor, which shows images taken by a camera mounted on the back of the vehicle.

The transport ministry revised safety criteria and other standards for road transport vehicles to allow mirrorless cars to drive on public roads, aligning Japan with new vehicle safety criteria adopted by the United Nations.

The absence of side mirrors will likely reduce air resistance, which could improve fuel efficiency. Also, areas obstructed by the side mirrors would become visible, reducing blind spots. At night and during bad weather, image processing software could help increase visibility.

Major domestic and foreign auto parts makers have taken the lead in developing the necessary technology. The French firm Valeo S.A. is moving forward on developments made using an experimental vehicle in Japan, and plans to start mass producing parts for mirrorless cars in 2018.

Shizuoka-based Murakami Corp., a leading manufacturer of rearview mirrors, has also developed a system of cameras and monitors. The company aims to start mass production in fiscal 2018, and is currently trying to sell its system to key domestic automakers.

Manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. have already revealed prototype cars, and are discussing their designs and other plans with parts makers and others to put the ideas into practical use.

The main issue is how to improve precision for safety purposes. Even a small time lag between camera and monitor could lead to serious accidents.

Steps also need to be taken so that drivers accustomed to side mirrors do not get flustered. “We can’t just replace the mirrors with cameras. We need to find ways to support safe driving,” said Shoji Akiyama, a director at Valeo Japan Co.

For example, one automaker is considering a function that would allow a vehicle to accelerate if the car behind it looked like it was about to cause a rear-end collision.

Equipping vehicles with cameras and monitors “would increase the sales price of a regular car by at least 100,000 yen,” an employee of a major automaker said. Hence, striking the right balance between safety and price is another issue automakers need to tackle.