TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Legislature on Tuesday passed an amendment to rename the motor vehicle fuel fee as the highway use, maintenance, safety, and management fee, per CNA.
The amendment changes Article 23 of the Urban Roads Act, which sets rules on how road-related fees are collected and used to support road construction, maintenance, repairs, and safety management. Lawmakers said the old name no longer reflects how the money is used, especially as electric vehicles become more common.
The current motor vehicle fuel fee is used to pay for road maintenance, repairs, construction, and safety management. However, electric vehicles do not use gasoline, even though they still use public roads.
DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲), who proposed the amendment, said the law should better reflect the user-pays principle. He said people who use roads should help pay to keep them safe and in good condition.
Under the amendment, the renamed fee will continue to fund the construction, improvement, and maintenance of urban roads. The highway authority will collect the fee.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications will discuss with the Ministry of the Interior how the money should be divided and used. Officials said the talks will cover funding needs for road maintenance and management.
During an earlier committee review, lawmakers asked whether the name change would affect electric vehicle taxes. Deputy Interior Minister Tung Chien-hung (董建宏) said electric vehicles do not currently pay the fuel fee, but they also use roads and should pay a fair share.
Tung said the government still needs to discuss a suitable and reasonable payment system with the transport ministry. He said the talks would also take into account Taiwan’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Tung stressed that the amendment does not create a new tax. He said the change is mainly a renaming measure, and road maintenance funds will continue to be used for their designated purpose.
