Counterfeit vehicle plate users face tougher penalties under draft law

Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said Thursday it plans to update the law to crack down on the use of counterfeit license plates, a problem it says has intensified in recent years.

The ministry told reporters at a routine press conference that it has prepared draft amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act that, if passed into law, would raise the maximum fine for drivers or vehicle owners who use counterfeit plates from the current NT$10,800 to NT$36,000.

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The amendments would also impose a maximum potential fine of NT$36,000 on drivers or vehicle owners whose license plates are missing or unregistered, the ministry said.

The higher penalties would apply to cars and two-wheel licensed vehicles such as motorbikes and scooters. Vehicles found to violate the law would be "immediately confiscated and later destroyed," the ministry said.

Speaking at the press conference, Lin Fu-shan (林福山), director of the MOTC's Department of Public Transportation and Supervision, said there has been a "large increase" in the number of vehicles using counterfeit license plates this year.

According to statistics from the Highway Bureau, 95 counterfeit plates were seized in 2021, 169 in 2022, and 251 in 2023. As of October this year, more than 1,000 plates have already been confiscated.

Lin said that the transport ministry consulted with multiple agencies when formulating the draft amendments, including the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Justice and the Highway Bureau, as well as various municipal governments.

The draft amendments will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval "as soon as possible," Lin said, expressing hope that the law will be updated during the current legislative session.