The government's commodity price bulletin board will be online by the end of March, Vice Premier Chang San-cheng stated at today's meeting of the Executive Yuan's commodity price stabilization task force.
Aside from incorporating the contents of the Executive Yuan Chinese-language website's commodity price stabilization zone, the most important function of the e-bulletin board is to display Ministry of Finance electronic invoices containing retail information, the Executive Yuan stated. The range of these e-invoices has been expanded from 15 everyday products to 60. The following eight major categories will be included: food, meats, aquaculture products, vegetables, fruits, beverages, daily necessities and seasonal festive goods (especially for Lunar New Year). The prices posted on the e-bulletin board will be renewed every two weeks for public reference.
The Executive Yuan added that the e-bulletin board will have a section for citizens to submit suggestions. Their proposals along with the government's responses will be placed online for all to see, and the administration will refer to them when making policy. Officials affirmed that the e-bulletin board will be open and transparent, invite civic participation and enhance communication with the public.
The website contents will be continually updated and enriched. Historical data is expected to be instituted in the second quarter of this year, and these open data will be available for the public to download for analysis and value-added uses. The prices of commodities will be updated every week. In the third quarter, the number of everyday products tracked will be increased to 120.
The National Development Council (NDC) has set up this board in a matter of months, exhibiting the government's administrative efficiency, said Chang, the task force's convener. He instructed relevant ministries and agencies to proactively collaborate in carrying out their respective tasks as formulated and assigned by the NDC, and to step up publicity for the bulletin board as well.