Ticket Scalping Crackdown in Taiwan: Fines Soaring for Resellers

Legislative Yuan Committee Approves Stiffer Penalties for Ticket Scalping and Noise Disturbances, Aiming to Protect Consumers.

The Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee in Taiwan has taken a significant step towards curbing ticket scalping and addressing other societal issues. The committee recently passed a preliminary review of proposed amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), signaling a more robust approach to these offenses.

A key amendment focuses on ticket scalping. The draft amendment proposes raising the maximum fine for unauthorized reselling of transportation or entertainment tickets not intended for personal use, increasing it from NT$18,000 to NT$30,000. This move aims to deter resellers and protect consumers from inflated prices.

Furthermore, the committee also approved a resolution urging authorities to propose amendments within two months, specifically targeting the scalping of medical, hospitality, and other voucher-based products and services. The resolution highlights the potential for "substantial illegal gains" from scalping and the resulting harm to consumer interests.

The initial proposals were brought forward by committee members Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋), Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), and Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), alongside independent Legislator May Chin (高金素梅).

Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) expressed some reservations, noting that legislation already covers scalping of cultural and sports event tickets under existing laws such as the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act (文化創意產業發展法) and the Sport Industry Development Act (運動產業發展條例). She suggested that regulating medical and hospitality vouchers should fall under the purview of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to avoid "excessive administrative discretion by police". Liu also cautioned against a potentially overly broad listing of ticket categories within the law.

In addition to addressing ticket scalping, the committee approved a clause increasing the maximum fine for noise disturbances from NT$6,000 to NT$10,000. This proposal was introduced by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus and KMT Legislator Chiu Jo-hua (邱若華), who argued that current fines were insufficient as a deterrent.

Moreover, amendments were approved to address stalking offenses. KMT legislators Lu Ming-che (魯明哲) and Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) proposed increasing fines for "stalking another person without justifiable reasons, despite having been dissuaded," from NT$3,000 to NT$30,000. The 14-member committee reached a consensus on these proposed increases after cross-party discussions.