Miaoli commissioner under fire over expensive vehicle

HOT ROD: The county’s Fire Bureau purchased a costly car and registered it as a disaster response vehicle, but it often left the county, reportedly with Hsu Yao-chang on board

By Chang Jui-chen, Peng Chien-li, Chang Wen-chuan and William / Staff reporters, with staff writer





Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌) has come under fire after the county’s Fire Bureau purchased a NT$2 million (US$65,066) disaster response vehicle, despite the county running a deficit.

The National Taxation Bureau demanded that the bureau pay NT$400,000 in taxes for the vehicle and fines of about NT$400,000.

The Fire Bureau filed an administrative lawsuit, claiming that the vehicle had not been used for anything other than its intended purpose.

Miaoli County Commissioner Hsu Yao-chang gestures to the media from the back seat of a 3.5L V6 Toyota Alphard luxury multipurpose vehicle that was purchased by the county Fire Bureau as a disaster response vehicle in an undated photograph. Photo: Peng Chien-lee, Taipei Times

However, the High Administrative Court in Taichung ruled against the Fire Bureau, ordering it to pay the taxes and fines.

Investigators found that the vehicle had passed through electronic toll collection (ETC) gates on highways outside the county 1,516 times over the past six months and that the vehicle was being used exclusively by Hsu.

“It seems as if the commissioner is responding to disasters outside of the county twice every three days,” court records quoted the judge as saying.

Investigators found that the bureau had purchased the vehicle — a 3.5L V6 Toyota Alphard luxury multipurpose vehicle — in 2016, and fitted it with a police siren and Fire Bureau markings, registering it as a disaster response vehicle.

The fire bureau applied for tax exemption for the vehicle, and removed the siren and markings after acquiring the vehicle’s license, investigators said.

In the lawsuit, the Fire Bureau said that Hsu was using the vehicle only because, as commissioner, he had command over disaster response operations in the county.

His use of the vehicle outside of those times was for official county business, it said.

The police and fire equipment were removed, because the siren was making strange noises and the fire bureau markings were scratched, the bureau said, adding that they would be replaced.

Investigators said the vehicle had passed through ETC tollgates 2,451 times, 935 of which were in Miaoli County.

This showed that the vehicle was primarily intended to serve as the commissioner’s official vehicle, which means it was not eligible for tax exemption, the court said.

Hsu on Friday said the vehicle belonged to the bureau and was used to “assist the county.”

He said he was unaware of the details surrounding the vehicle and any questions should be addressed to the bureau.

Miaoli County Fire Bureau Deputy Chief Kuang Meng-lin (匡夢麟) said the bureau would apply for administrative emergency relief funds to pay the taxes and fines.

There is a 2.5 liter engine size limit for vehicles used by county commissioners, but the limit for fire bureau vehicles is 3.5 liters, County Councilor Chen Kuang-hsuan (陳光軒) said.

“If the commissioner made one statement [about wanting to use the fire department’s vehicle], would the fire department dare not listen to him?” Chen asked.

If the commissioner was using the bureau’s vehicle as his official vehicle, the use could also constitute corruption, false record keeping or misappropriation of public resources for personal benefit, which are crimes, lawyer Huang Ti-ying (黃帝穎) said.