Every July brings a host of new laws and systems. Starting this Friday, July 1st, a variety of new regulations will go into effect, many closely related to daily life, covering areas such as transportation, food safety, cross-strait relations, justice, Taipei City, postal services, and Kinmen… Here’s a summary of the new systems:
🚗 Transportation (5 Items)
- HSR Schedule Adjustments: With the opening of Nangang Station, weekly services decrease from 969 to 943, while express trains increase from 252 to 292. The first trains from Nangang and Zuoying will launch earlier at 06:15.
- Motorized Bicycles Require Helmets: Riders of motorized bicycles (including those with pedals) must wear motorcycle or bicycle helmets. Currently, there is no fine for non-compliance, but failure to do so could attribute fault in an accident. Legislation is expected to introduce fines next year.
- Motorcycle Tire Tread Depth Check: Motorcycle tire tread depth is included in inspections. During temporary inspections for license plates or transfers for mopeds and regular heavy motorcycles (under 250cc) over five years old, and regular inspections for large heavy motorcycles (over 250cc), the tread depth must not be less than 0.8 mm. Failure to rectify this will prevent license plates or transfers, and persistent non-compliance may lead to license plate revocation.
- Certified Decals for Motorized Bicycles: Motorized assistive bicycles and motorized bicycles that pass the model safety certification must affix or hang a new, enlarged certified decal in a highly visible location at the rear of the vehicle.
- Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS): New sedans and small trucks rolling off the assembly line must be equipped with compliant TPMS and obtain a certificate of conformance before receiving a license plate.
🍽️ Food Safety (4 Items)
- Fluoride Allowed in Salt: Small bags of domestic salt under 1 kg produced newly can contain fluoride, capped at 200 ppm per kg. Distinct names like “fluoridated salt” must be marked, accompanied by warnings like “consult a dentist if using fluoride tablets simultaneously.”
- Aloin Restrictions and Warnings: Newly produced food containing aloe vera must display warnings such as “not recommended for pregnant women or children” unless proven via testing that the aloin content is under 0.1 ppm.
- Special Food Labeling: Newly produced special nutritional foods like milk powder and liquid patient diets must fully label saturated fats, trans fats, and sugar. They must clearly state warnings such as “This product is for special diseases and not suitable for average consumption… to be consumed under the guidance of a doctor or dietitian.”
- “Animal Welfare” Labeling for Eggs: Market eggs meeting the “friendly production systems” definition from the Council of Agriculture must indicate their rearing method, such as enriched cages, flat-deck systems, or free-range.
🧑🔧 Labor (2 Items)
- Reduced Loan Interest Rates for Labor Insurance Relief: The interest rate for those who applied from 2014 onwards drops from 1.635% to 1.495%. For those from 2013 and earlier with outstanding balances, it decreases from 2.885% to 2.745%.
- Mandatory Orientation for Employers of Domestic Caregivers: Employers hiring foreign domestic helpers or caregivers for the first time must complete one hour of orientation covering regulations and workers’ rights before an employment permit is issued (can be completed by a proxy within three degrees of kinship).
📬 Postal Services (2 Items)
- Postal Service Hours Adjustments: The opening time for 1,137 post offices nationwide shifts from 08:00 to 08:30.
- Suspension of Express Mail Service (EMS) for Cold Chain Delivery to Japan: The EMS cold chain delivery service to Japan is completely suspended.
🌏 Cross-strait Relations (1 Item)
- Mainland Chinese tourists applying for landing visas for tourism in Kinmen and Matsu no longer need to attach return tickets, simplifying the procedure.
⚖️ Justice (1 Item)
- Implementation of the New Criminal Forfeiture System: “Forfeiture” gains highly independent juridical effects and expanded scope. Maliciously acquired or criminal proceeds, whether from natural persons, legal entities, or third parties, can be completely confiscated.
🏙️ Taipei City (8 Items)
- Extended MRT Hours at Nangang Station: With the opening of the HSR Nangang Station, Taipei Metro extends the final train from Nangang to Dingpu from midnight to 00:12.
- Full Implementation of iPASS: Previously restricted to widened accessible gates, iPASS can now be used at all gates.
- Cancellation of Discounts at Public Venues: Eight public venues in Taipei City, including the Science Education Center and the Zoo, will cancel special admission prices for military, civil servants, and teachers.
- Mandatory Pet Registration for Cats: Owners registered in Taipei City must microchip their cats and administer rabies vaccines. Violators face fines ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 TWD.
- Modified Convenience Store Noise Measurement: The noise standard for convenience store door chimes switches from average volume to maximum volume. Fines will be issued to those exceeding the standard.
- No-Smoking Areas Around Schools: The surrounding sidewalks of 180 schools in Taipei are designated completely smoke-free, with violators subject to fines of 2,000 to 10,000 TWD.
- Streamlined Intake for Criminal Cases: Major cases will be handled centrally by police precincts, while general cases are received by local police stations.
- Expansion of Alternative Military Service: Men born in 1994 can apply for general alternative military service.
🏝️ Kinmen (1 Item)
- Increase in Disability Allowances: The home living allowance for local individuals with disabilities is increased to 2,500 to 4,500 TWD incrementally.
- Mild: 2,500 TWD/month
- Moderate: 3,000 TWD/month
- Severe: 3,500 TWD/month
- Profound: 4,500 TWD/month