ADVERTISING ILLEGAL ACCOMMODATION FACES FINE UP TO NT$300,000|Airbnb條款 刊登違法民宿.旅館廣告將重罰

You could be fined up to NT$300,000 for listing your unused apartment on Airbnb for short-term residential rental. This so-called "Airbnb clause" bans all advertisement about illegal short-term residential or accommodation services. Bloggers could also be punished if their reviews or sharing is considered a form of advertising or solicitation. Booking rooms on bread-and-breakfast websites may grant you an opportunity to experience the local life. However, you should also be aware of illegal rentals. On Jul.13, the Tourism Bureau announced that people advertising illegal short-term accommodation and hotel services on the Internet and media outlets will face a fine of up to NT$300,000. ==LEE CHUNG-YEN Section Manager, Hotel and Lodging Division, Tourism Bureau== Illegal accommodation and hotels without a license cannot advertise on channels such as television, broadcast, the Internet or other media outlets. Once identified, the tourism bureau can fine the business without making an inspection on the scene at first. The new regulation has been seen as specifically aimed at Airbnb. However, the Tourism Bureau emphasized that it did not act directly against any platforms or startups. It only aimed to crack down on illegal bread-and-breakfasts. In some countries, bread-and-breakfasts are dealt with differently. Take Japan for example. It is now planning to make Airbnb legal during a concession period for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Experts said that sharing economy platforms challenge government laws and regulations around the world. Therefore, amending the law is too slow an action to save any critical situation. ==KANG TING-YUEH researcher, Taiwan Institute of Economic Research== The government should design a mechanism and allow businesses to test innovative services in Taiwan. The government can later discuss which regulations should be adjusted or relaxed. Experts said that Taiwan can learn from Singapore in finding a solution. The Monetary Authority of Singapore launched a "Regulatory Sandbox" towards financial startups, and allowed qualified businesses to test their business models conditionally within a specific period. At the same time, the businesses will be given immunity for the law. Singapore's flexible measure has helped the government and businesses to achieve a balance. TRANSLATED BY ARIEL HSIEH 交通部公告修正「發展觀光條例裁罰標準」，從今天開始，只要是非法的日租套房、旅館業者，在網路或電子平面媒體刊登廣告，包括Airbnb或Facebook等，將面臨最高開罰30萬元，外界稱為是Airbnb條款。 訂房網站平台上，打著預訂獨一無二的房型，能像當地人一樣體驗城市。但平台提供的住宿，並非完全都是合法的旅館民宿。交通部正式公告裁罰標準，只要是非法營業的日租套房、旅館業者，在網路或電子及平面等媒體，刊登攬客和營業廣告及資訊，最高開罰30萬元。 ==觀光局旅宿組課長 李中彥== 沒有取得登記證 非法的旅宿 他去電視 廣播 或是網路等等媒體 去做廣告 做攬客的行為 經過查核的話 我們可以不用帶隊 去他的現場去做稽查 直接就對他的廣告行為裁罰 這項條款也被外界稱為Airbnb條款。但觀光局強調，一直都在取締非法旅館民宿，並沒有針對任何平台，也不是針對創新事業。但反觀其他國家，像是日本因應東京奧運，正計畫修法讓Airbnb以特許期申請的方式合法，學者認為，新興共享經濟平台，本來就在世界各地衝撞既有法規，政府如果要修法因應是緩不濟急。 ==台經院研究員 康廷嶽== 一個機制設計可以讓 不論是新創團隊 或者是一些比較創新的作法 在台灣可能可以先行先做 大家再來討論說 透過這樣子的一個 Sandbox運作的情況下 哪一些法規可能需要做調適 哪一些可能要放寬 學者以新加坡金融管理局為例，針對創新金融事業，推出"監理沙盒準則"，符合的資格的業者可以在期限內，有條件測試創新成果，且獲得法規豁免權，讓政府和業者找到平衡點，再給予明確規範，這樣的彈性措施，或許也能做為台灣的借鏡。