TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former legislator Julian Kuo (郭正亮) on Thursday (July 25) highlighted the economic impact of Taiwan's "typhoon holidays" — a work and class suspension system during a typhoon, estimating a loss of NT$20 billion per day and NT$40 billion over two days.
Kuo urged for a revision of the policy to mitigate these losses, stressing the need to address the economic ramifications and operational disruptions caused by the current typhoon holiday system.
Kuo made these remarks on a political talk show on CTI Television. He noted that Taiwan is the only country where local mayors decide on typhoon holidays, which disrupts business operations and financial transactions.
He emphasized that as an export-oriented country, Taiwan faces significant issues when trade companies cannot process orders promptly due to typhoon holidays.
Kuo also expressed concern over the unreasonable pressure placed on mayors to make these decisions.
During the show, Kuo shared his discussions with Japanese individuals who were surprised by the typhoon holidays in Taiwan. He mentioned that most Japanese people do not take days off during typhoons unless the storm is so severe that going out poses an immediate life-threatening danger.