TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The KMT on Monday unveiled a drone bill allocating NT$240 billion (US$7.4 billion) from a special budget over six years to be finalized at the July 3 caucus meeting.
The Cabinet proposed a separate drone bill on June 18, totaling NT$210 billion, per the Liberty Times. However, on Friday, the KMT and TPP legislative majority blocked its review.
The KMT bill consists of 23 articles and would be handled by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense. The bill allocates NT$40 billion annually over six years to build drones and testing sites.
Under the KMT bill, any single purchase over NT$100 million must be reported in writing to the legislature.
In the KMT proposal, over 50% of drones must be domestically produced, and increase to 80% after four years, per UDN. The economics ministry is to provide incentives to key component producers and coordinate joint investment by private capital and the National Development Fund.
There are also legal deterrents, such as a NT$1 million to NT$5 million fine for submitting false information to pass evaluations. Trespassing or sabotaging facilities and stealing or hacking into sensitive tech is punishable by a three- to ten-year prison sentence with a maximum NT$10 million fine, per the Economic Daily News.
