Price surge alert: from electricity bills to zoo tickets

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Starting Monday (April 1), Taiwan's electricity prices will increase by an average of 11%. Concurrently, prices for Taiwan High Speed Rail lunch boxes, Taipei Zoo admission tickets, and license taxes will also rise.

Following the electricity price adjustment, the average electricity price will be NT$3.4518 per kilowatt-hour.

For domestic electricity users consuming less than 700 kilowatt-hours per month, which accounts for approximately 93% or 12.5 million households, the increase will be between 3% and 5%, resulting in an additional monthly cost of about NT$20.

To combat inflation, the Central Bank raised interest rates by half a point in March, leading to homeowners with mortgages spending an additional NT$7,000 annually on average.

Moreover, license taxes will be levied from April 1 to April 30, affecting approximately 8.23 million vehicles nationwide. The estimated tax revenue is NT$66.1 billion, with a maximum late payment penalty of 10%.

Starting April 1, the price of high-speed rail bento boxes will increase by NT$10, from NT$100 to NT$110. Admission prices for the Taipei Zoo will also rise from April 1, with regular tickets priced at NT$100, discounted tickets at NT$50, and group tickets at NT$70.