讀後心得

U.S. President Trump announced a 32% tariff on Taiwan. Legislator Chang Chia-jun from the Kuomintang criticized the Lai government for its slow response and ineffective measures, relying solely on slogans to deal with the trade war, which has disappointed the public. He pointed out that Taiwan is only behind 14 high-tariff OECD countries among 185 nations affected by high tariffs, emphasizing that the ruling party has failed to effectively respond to the challenges. Additionally, Chang expressed dissatisfaction with the Executive Yuan's proposed NT$88 billion industrial response plan, believing it to be merely a repackaging of old policies. He called on the government to promptly revise tax systems and negotiation strategies to tackle the increasingly severe trade environment.

The U.S. president announced a 32% tariff on Taiwan. In response, the KMT legislator admitted that the current government is overly optimistic, misjudging the situation and lagging behind other countries in reaction speed. The domestic response measures are simply a renewal of old policies, relying on marketing slogans to get through this tariff war. During this time, the ruling party has focused too much on facilitating a major recall election, neglecting people's livelihoods, which has disappointed the public.

The U.S. recently announced a list of "reciprocal tariffs" affecting 185 countries and regions, with Taiwan facing a 32% tariff, ranking 14th globally. Legislators pointed out that this figure severely impacts the export sector, especially since Taiwan is the only OECD-level advanced democracy among the top 14 countries, which raises concerns.

Legislators stated that when the U.S. officially released the list, the ruling party appeared helpless. KMT legislators had already warned in the Legislative Yuan that Taiwan has long imposed high taxes on U.S. imported cars, with total tax burden exceeding 60%. They had suggested gradually reducing unreasonable high tax rates to leave room for negotiation with the U.S., but the DPP government ignored this, confidently claiming that "Taiwan-U.S. relations are at their best in history," while overlooking trade retaliation signals from the U.S.

Legislators mentioned that Canada and Mexico sought exemptions through the USMCA, while countries like Singapore, Argentina, and Spain initiated negotiation mechanisms. Meanwhile, Vietnam quickly started negotiations after the announcement, reaching a consensus with the U.S. to begin discussions on eliminating bilateral tariffs and agreeing to hold face-to-face meetings in Vietnam soon.

He harshly criticized that the government not only made judgment errors but also that during this time, the ruling party was obsessed with the major recall election, neglecting the livelihood and economic crisis, which is one of the fundamental reasons why Taiwan cannot respond to crises in a timely manner. The Executive Yuan announced yesterday the "880 billion industry response plan." Legislators pointed out that this funding is merely "old wine in a new bottle," as most of it consists of pre-existing policies that are just repackaged.

Legislators believe that what the people need is substantial policy, not just packaging; they need action, not just slogans. There should be a government genuinely focused on national development, instead of a ruling party that only cares about power and ideology.

He urged that an inter-ministerial meeting should be convened immediately to conduct a detailed review of response strategies regarding U.S. trade, to draft modifications and negotiation strategies item by item, initiate tax reforms, and gradually reduce the tax burden on automobiles to pave the way for future trade agreements. Additionally, there should be active development of "low-tax-reliant industries," such as digital services and software export policies, to mitigate risks associated with dependency on hardware.

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