ILLEGAL GAINS: The new rules empower authorities to recover profits made from major pollution breaches, such as not installing pollution control equipment

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 30, 2019
By: Hsiao Yu-hsin and Sherry Hsiao  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Individuals and companies that benefit from contravening the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) will have to turn over all illegal profits, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday, citing the new Regulations for Accounting and Estimating the Benefits from Violating the Obligation of Air Pollution Control Act (違反空氣污染防制法義務所得利益核算及推估辦法) that took effect on Friday.

The act mandates a fine of up to NT$20 million (US$643,045) for companies that contravene it.

In the past, breaches of the act were mainly punished by fines, with the amount determined in accordance with Article 18, Paragraph 2 of the Administrative Penalty Act (行政罰法), the EPA said in a statement.

If the benefits gained from such breaches exceeded the maximum statutory fine, the fine would be based on the amount of illegal profits made, it said.    [FULL  STORY]