The National Development Council will create assistance programs for small and medium sized businesses as part of their plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Council head Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) announced the programs alongside his “12 key strategies” for reaching Taiwan’s carbon goals. Kung said that while previous plans focused primarily on large enterprises, it is more difficult for small and medium sized businesses to adapt to carbon cutting measures. Kung said that the government must “leave no one behind,” and that the assistance programs will include tax relief, subsidies, and preferential loans.
Other elements of the 12 key strategies include wind and hydrogen energy, improved energy storage, carbon capture, and electrifying transportation, among others. Kung said that without these 12 strategies, reaching the goal of a 20% cut in carbon emissions by 2030 would be unlikely. But with them, carbon reduction could reach as much as 24%. He also emphasized that the net-zero plan can create great business opportunities.
Kung estimated that by 2030 the transition to net-zero emissions can drive more than NT$4 trillion (US$130 billion) in private investment and create more than half a million jobs.