The KMT and TPP have proposed amending the Air Pollution Control Act to mandate early retirement of coal-fired units. The MOEA estimates an impact of about 580 hundred million kWh in annual generation, with reserve margin rates in years 117 and 118 turning negative, affecting new power demand in the Central Taiwan Science Park and supply stability in the north and east.
Macro & Policy
Opposition caucuses have proposed amending the Air Pollution Act to require the Taichung Power Plant to phase out coal by 2028. The Ministry of Economic Affairs says early retirement of four power plants totaling 9.72GW would cut annual generation by 58 billion kWh, turn the reserve margin negative, hit regional supply and industry, drawing backlash from the Taipower union.
The Ministry of Finance reported October nationwide tax revenue of 5669億元, up 35.8% year on year, with securities transaction tax of 523億元 up 72.6% for 15 consecutive months of positive growth, January-October tax revenue of 4兆1383億元 hitting a record high for the period, and estimated full-year surplus of 1100億 to 1600億元.
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics released September payroll statistics: real total earnings for the first nine months rose 2.60% year-on-year, an 11-year high for the same period; real regular earnings (median) for full-time local employees rose 1.40% year-on-year, also a record high, with nominal wage gains outpacing inflation and purchasing power maintaining positive growth.
The Ministry of Finance reported October tax revenue of NT$566.9 billion, a record high for October, with January-October revenue reaching NT$4.1383 trillion. The full-year surplus is estimated at NT$110-160 billion, with both central and local governments above budget, mainly due to provisional tax payments and a booming stock market.
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics released September payroll statistics, with average regular wages at NT$52,522 and median regular wages at NT$41,356. Cumulative growth in the first three quarters both exceeded 3%, while total wages rose 4.54%, all hitting record highs since compilation began.
Cho Jung-tai attended the CNFI's 80th Industrial Day ceremony, saying Taiwan is in the best era of the Republic of China and will promote a balanced Taiwan with shared economic gains. Kung Ming-hsin estimates this year's economic growth rate will exceed 12%, challenging a 39-year high, with traditional industry exports rebounding since September.
The Water Resources Agency said on the 11th that storage rates at major reservoirs across Taiwan are between 85% and 100%, and with rainfall forecast at normal to above normal for the coming quarter, water supply is assessed to remain stable through next year's Lunar New Year, with a cautiously optimistic outlook on water conditions.
Over 1 million personal data records were recently leaked from 91APP, ezTravel and others. The Ministry of Digital Affairs said AI-powered automated vulnerability scanning has expanded attacks. Direct financial losses are small, but with personal data sold to fraud groups and brand reputation damaged, indirect financial losses are huge, urging businesses to strengthen protection.
The International Trade Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced on 10日 the cancellation of export management measures for 第26類 welded steel pipes to Europe, deleting a total of 21項 tariff codes. The main reason is that Taiwan's EU quota for this year is smaller than in previous years, and prior exports by業者 had already exceeded the allocated quota, blocking exports. After discussion, cancellation was unanimously agreed.
National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen said the Jensen Huang controversy will not affect humanity's demand for AI, sharp stock market volatility is a short-term phenomenon with confidence unchanged, next year's budget continues funding to strengthen sovereign AI computing power and ecosystem, strict U.S. controls have limited impact on Taiwan, and AI will be introduced across industries
Environmental groups protested at the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the 10th, saying silt from the Third LNG Terminal project is harming algal reef ecology and a Class I protected coral, demanding suspension of the south breakwater and removal of temporarily placed caissons. The Ministry promised to reply on a coordination meeting time within a week. CPC emphasized the need for protection and continued monitoring.
The Legislative Yuan Transportation Committee reviewed the MODA budget. Minister Lin Yi-jing confirmed that 91APP and about 5 to 6 e-commerce firms were scanned and penetrated by the Chinese Agentic AI tool ARTEX, mainly due to two open-source software programs missing patch updates; the CEC case was a vendor coding flaw, now patched, with 32 downloading IP addresses under investigation.
TIER projects 2026 GDP growth at 12.34%, with 2027 still reaching 6.45% despite a high base. AI investment continues to support exports and domestic demand, though geopolitics and U.S. politics add uncertainty, with price and energy trends as key factors.
Financial holding groups' Q3 overseas exposure reached NT$33.0373 trillion, a record high, up 4.95% QoQ and 16.35% YoY. Singapore returned to the top ten after more than 11 years, Japan led growth at 44.89% YoY, and the U.S. share hit a record 35.59%.
Chiayi City's 2026 Shopping Festival saw invoice registrations reach 12.28億元, a record high, plus 2.78億元 from the citizen-exclusive spend-1000-get-100 program, together creating 15.06億元 in consumption. A cloud invoice for sneakers won a pure electric car priced at 139.9萬元, while lodging and tourism grew together.
On the 8th, the Ministry of Economic Affairs clarified that an online report falsely using TVBS's name, fabricating that Kung Ming-hsin lost control on the Shao-kang War Room show and recommended the Shengyingyuan AI platform, is a fraud. It stressed the government does not recommend stocks, and urged the public not to click or forward it, not to provide personal information or transfer money, and to call 165 for verification if in doubt.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an headed south to Qishan, Kaohsiung on the 7th to speak for KMT mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en at the "Greater Qimei Victory Rally," with over 20,000 people gathering in a lively atmosphere, spectacular aerial footage, a social media post topping 10,000 likes, and chants for a Taipei-Kaohsiung alliance to win.
Through the end of October this year, the NT dollar had cumulatively depreciated 3.2%, briefly breaking below the NT$33 mark this week. Foreign-owned assets in Taiwan reached 321% of forex reserves at end-September and still stood at 292% at end-October, with volatile trading at high levels in Taiex adding to the central bank's challenge in stabilizing the currency.
Following the implementation of Taiwan's Artificial Intelligence Basic Act, the 9th International Academic Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law convened, bringing together domestic and foreign representatives from industry, government, and academia to focus on implementing governance principles, industry compliance, medical and trade adaptation, and international alignment and legal development.