Taipei defends heavy fines issued for ticket scalping

Taipei, Sept. 11 (CNA) The Taipei City government on Wednesday defended fining ticket scalpers 10 or even 50 times the face value of their tickets, reminding the public that any markup added to tickets during resale is illegal.

The city justified its approach following a social media post by Taipei City Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩), which highlighted some of the heavy fines the city has issued and questioned whether people are sufficiently aware of scalping laws.

In one example last year, Tseng said, a person reselling a single ticket to a Jay Chou (周杰倫) concert for a higher price was fined NT$244,000 (US$8,066), or 50 times the ticket's NT$4,880 face value.

In another instance, a person selling two tickets to a Post Malone concert overseas at face value plus "two cups of Starbucks coffee" was fined NT$46,000, or 10 times the combined value of the tickets, he said.

Tseng noted that 36 people fined by the city for scalping this year had appealed their penalties, suggesting that some Taipei residents do not know the laws governing ticket resales.

To prevent people from inadvertently violating the law and being fined, the city should step up efforts to raise public awareness on the topic ahead of major concerts, Tseng said.

In a statement issued later that day, the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs said it would continue to raise awareness through social media and other means to remind the public not to buy from ticket scalpers.

Under the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Act, however, local authorities can issue fines of 10-50 times the face value of the tickets, depending on the number of tickets being sold, the department said.

Even if the tickets are advertised with a markup but not sold, or if the markup is in the form of a beverage on top of the ticket's face value, it is still illegal, the department said, adding that people who feel they have been unjustly penalized can appeal the fine.

As of Wednesday, Taipei City has issued 147 fines this year to ticket scalpers for a total of NT$34.7 million, with the largest individual fine being NT$2.64 million, the department said.