Legislative Yuan focuses on loopholes in political donation audits, virtual currency donations may be included in regulations

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Control Yuan Criticized for Low Penalties, Ministry of the Interior Concerned about Cryptocurrency Penetration into Taiwanese Politics

Legislative Yuan Report Points Out: Control Yuan's Penalty Rate is Low

According to Central News Agency, the Legislative Yuan's Budget Center recently reported that in the past decade, over 50% of the cases involving political donations investigated by the Control Yuan did not result in penalties, and the rate of non-penalties for potential candidates is even higher. The Budget Center believes that the Control Yuan should comprehensively review existing regulations, especially regarding whether political donations related to virtual currencies and online platforms like Donate and "Dounei" should be included in the laws to ensure that new forms of donations are regulated and do not become gray areas.

Control Yuan: Ministry of the Interior Advised to Evaluate the Impact of Cryptocurrency Donations

In response to the Legislative Yuan's report, the Control Yuan immediately issued a press release stating that it is not the governing body of political donation laws, and any legal application or inadequacies in statutes should be addressed or amended by the Ministry of the Interior. The Control Yuan further stated that it had already advised the Ministry of the Interior at the end of last year to study how to handle cases where certain live streamers with potential candidate status on platforms like YouTube accept "Dounei" as political donations. Whether such internet platform tokens should be prohibited as donation targets, the Control Yuan had already made recommendations. The Ministry of the Interior responded in January this year, stating that it would consult with relevant agencies for further research.

Ministry of the Interior Assessment: Cryptocurrency Could Become a Channel for Foreign Influence Penetration

After evaluating the risks of using cryptocurrency as political donations, the Ministry of the Interior believes that cryptocurrency has cross-border circulation capabilities. Allowing it as a donation target could potentially become a channel for foreign forces to intervene in Taiwan's political landscape. To ensure transparency and security in political donations, the Ministry of the Interior suggests that political donations should be limited to funds that can be immediately and clearly utilized. Therefore, in the draft amendment of the Political Donations Act, it explicitly specifies that cryptocurrency cannot be used as donation targets, and this draft is currently under review by the Executive Yuan.

Advocating the Political Donations Act, Control Yuan Emphasizes Reduced Cases of Illegal Activities through Inspection

The Control Yuan stated that when enforcing the Political Donations Act, it has always followed the principle of "advocacy over penalties." To assist donors and recipients in understanding the regulations, the Control Yuan conducts diverse advocacy through videos, the internet, and on-site explanations. Since 2010, the Control Yuan has established the "Political Donations Online Declaration System" to continuously enhance its functionality, including the feature of verifying donor information, allowing political parties and potential candidates to quickly verify if the received political donations violate regulations. If they do not comply with the rules, the funds can be returned or deposited, significantly reducing the incidence of illegally accepting political donations.

Inspections During Elections: Large Illegal Donations Refunded

According to the Control Yuan's statistics, during the 2020 presidential and vice-presidential election period, potential candidates returned a total of 283 illegal donations amounting to NT$28,411,994; during the legislative elections, potential candidates returned 815 donations totaling NT$73,227,927. According to Article 15 of the Political Donations Act, if both parties return political donations that do not comply with regulations, no penalties will be imposed. The Control Yuan emphasized that reports stating "over 50% of cases do not result in penalties" might not fully grasp the content of the regulations.

Key Points of the Political Donations Act: Public Transparency, Penalties as Supplementary Measures

The Control Yuan emphasized that the purpose of the Political Donations Act is to promote citizen participation in politics and ensure fairness and justice in political activities. By publicly disclosing the accounting reports of political donations from parties and potential candidates, the public can supervise and rely on transparency rather than excessive dependence on penalties as a preventive measure. Penalties are only a supplementary mechanism, not the ultimate goal.