Taiwan Bolsters Penalties: Tougher Fines for Scalpers, Noise Offenders, and Stalkers

Legislative Yuan Approves Amendments to Enhance Public Order and Consumer Protection

Taipei, Taiwan – In a move aimed at strengthening public order and consumer protection, the Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee has passed a preliminary review of amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act. These changes will significantly increase penalties for ticket scalping, disruptive noise, and stalking offenses.

The proposed revisions include a substantial increase in fines for unauthorized reselling of transportation and entertainment tickets not intended for personal use. The maximum fine will jump from NT$18,000 to NT$30,000.

Furthermore, the committee approved a resolution urging relevant authorities to propose further legal amendments within two months to address the scalping of medical, hospitality, and other voucher-based products and services. The resolution highlights that scalping can result in "substantial illegal gains" and significantly harm consumer interests, warranting stricter measures beyond the typically administrative penalties of the Social Order Maintenance Act.

The proposed amendments were championed by a cross-party coalition, including lawmakers Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), and Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) from the Kuomintang (KMT), and Kao Chin Su-mei (高金素梅), an independent lawmaker.

Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), while acknowledging the need for action, raised concerns about the scope and application of the proposed changes. He noted that existing laws, such as the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act and the Sports Industry Development Act, already cover the scalping of tickets for cultural and sports events. Liu suggested that the scalping of medical and hospitality vouchers should be addressed under separate regulations set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, to "avoid excessive administrative discretion by police." He also warned against overly specific ticket definitions, potentially overlooking certain categories.

In addition to addressing scalping, the committee approved a measure to raise the maximum fine for creating noise disturbances, increasing it from NT$6,000 to NT$10,000. This proposal was put forth by the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) legislative caucus and KMT lawmaker Chiu Jo-hua (邱若華), who argued that the current fines are insufficient to deter such behavior.

Another key amendment, proposed by KMT lawmakers Lu Ming-che (魯明哲) and Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒), seeks to significantly increase the fine for stalking offenses, specifically for “stalking another person without justifiable reasons despite having been dissuaded,” from NT$3,000 to NT$30,000.

The 14-member standing committee reached a consensus on these proposed increases after discussions across party lines, demonstrating a commitment to addressing these critical issues.