Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua says that a proposed EU carbon tax is not likely to affect Taiwan’s exports. The EU is looking to levy carbon taxes on certain industrial imports by 2023. Wang says potentially affected industries in Taiwan send only about 3% to 5% of their exports to the EU.
Furthermore, Wang says the EU’s tax plan is still a work in progress. She says that the EU still needs to make sure that the proposed carbon tax doesn’t violate the World Trade Organization’s non-discrimination policy. Wang says the EU is expected to announce a final version of its carbon tax in June.
Wang says that many of Taiwan’s industries have already foreseen this trend and have made adjustments accordingly. For example, Wang says that Taiwan’s premier steelmaker, China Steel, has improved its manufacturing process to be more efficient than that of steelmakers in other countries.