臺灣在一八九九年實施食鹽專賣，其事務由臺灣鹽務局掌管，負責收購島內食鹽和進口外國食鹽。日本當局更為了酬庸為其服務者，乃給予臺灣人食鹽承銷的權利，食鹽行銷網經過三階段演變，販賣人數亦有大的變化。食鹽行銷管道，不斷的縮短以減少中間的剝削，而且擁有行銷權者不斷的集中。承銷商逐漸減少，但零售商卻增加。承銷商愈來愈少，權力更加集中化，而昔日被利用的臺灣人逐漸被日本人替換下來，臺灣人只能當越來越多的零售商而已。殖民地政府不僅以食鹽行銷權來籠絡各地的「有心有力人士」，並且可以說經由此網絡進一步強化對民間社會的掌控。 　　臺灣的食鹽原本不能自給自足，必須依賴中國的進口；日治初期在臺的日本人也習慣用日本鹽，但由於日本政府企圖建立「日本鹽業帝國」（包括日本本國、殖民地及勢力範圍），於是促使臺鹽流入日本、朝鮮、庫頁島、俄領沿海州、香港、馬尼拉等地。在壟斷市場的前提下，日本當局憑藉臺鹽外銷網的擴大，使其民間財閥獨佔鹽業及其相關化學工業。進而言之，當時臺鹽的流通結構係「日本鹽業帝國」體系之一環，臺灣在此體系之下，一方面履行殖民地對殖民母國的義務，另一方面卻也因外資（日本資本）與技術的引進，而奠定了相關化學工業的基礎。

Table salt was a daily necessity. Historically, the authorities usually decided its price and systems of production and distribution in order to adjust the supply and demand and to buy popular support in pre-modern nations. The traditional Chinese government, like the Japanese government, followed Chinese territory, naturally adopted monopoly policies. The salt monopoly policy in Taiwan was formulated in 1899. In principle, Taiwan salt was not to compete with Japanese salt when sold to Japan; the surplus Taiwan salt was to be exported to Korea, Karafuto islands and Southeast Asia. The goal of this salt monopoly was to replenish the needs of Japan without hampering its salt industry. The revenue from salt was less than that of other monopolized goods, such as opium or tobacco, but the salt industry was in harmony with the industrial development and political aggression of Japan, and unintentionally laid a foundation for Taiwan’s chemical industry. Moreover, owing to modernization of the salt industry, the Japanese zaibatsu invested here under the control of the colonial government, hence creating monopoly capitalism. Taiwanese salt wholesalers, selected by the authorities, also benefited form the monopoly policy, and consequently accumulated capital be come the new gentry. They closely cooperated with the colonial government and played an important role in political and economic circles. In other words, the salt distribution network aided the colonial government in controlling Taiwanese society.