Ministry of Environment Announces the List of Members for the First Carbon Fee Rate Review Councils

The Ministry of Environment recently announced the list of members for the first Carbon Fee Rate Review Council and scheduled the first carbon fee rate review meeting for this Friday (March 15). The meeting will be convened by the Vice Minister of the Ministry, with the Director of the Climate Change Administration serving as the vice convener. It includes 5 representatives from government agencies, 6 representatives from civil society organizations, and 8 scholars and experts, totaling 21 members.

The Ministry has categorized expertise into 4 areas: "Environment," "Energy and Resources," "Economics and Financial Accounting," and "Law." On January 18 this year, it publicly invited recommendations for scholars and experts from various sectors, with a total of 82 candidates being considered.

Regarding selecting representatives from civil society organizations, the Ministry explained that it considered the relevance and representativeness of various organizations on carbon fee issues and included representatives from environmental protection, social justice, and industrial sectors to balance opinions. Representatives were appointed by organizations such as the Green Citizens' Action Alliance, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union (TEPU), Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, Chinese National Federation of Industries, General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China, and National Federation of Certified Public Accountant Associations. As for representatives from government agencies, they were appointed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), National Development Council, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), and Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.

According to the "Guidelines for Establishing Carbon Fee Rate Review Councils," the term of office for council members is 2 years. The term for this council will run from March 1 to February 28 2024. The council's tasks include setting and adjusting the general and preferential rates for carbon fees and evaluating, reviewing, researching, and consulting on carbon fee rates.

To ensure the fairness of the council's proceedings, scholars, experts, and representatives from civil society organizations are prohibited from serving as directors, supervisors, person in charge, or consultants of businesses subject to carbon fee collection during their terms of office.

Reference: Ministry of Environment