Cabinet wins showdown over allocation of budget

A Cabinet-led motion to overturn recently passed amendments to the nation's budget allocation law was adopted in the legislature yesterday -- despite the numerical advantage of the KMT and its PFP ally who had supported the changes.

Voting against the Cabinet motion were 109 lawmakers from the opposition alliance. But that was four votes less than needed to quash the DPP government's request. Supporting the government's motion were 103 lawmakers.

The proposed changes to the Law Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) would have given an additional NT$150 billion annually to local governments from central government coffers. But the Cabinet asked that the changes be scrapped, saying it would put too much financial pressure on the central government.

Yesterday's vote marked the second face-off between the ruling and opposition camps this month.

While the DPP and its TSU ally in the legislature were victorious, the result doesn't mean an end to the funding row that has long pitted the central government against local governments and urban areas against their rural counterparts.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who had proposed the funding revisions to his KMT cohorts in the previous legislature, said he regretted yesterday's outcome but vowed to keep fighting for the capital city.

Ma accused the DPP government of arbitrarily shrinking Taipei's coffers in what he called a partisan vendetta.

Taipei would have received roughly NT$48 billion annually from the central government if the funding revisions were allowed to stand.

Striking his gavel at 7:15pm yesterday, legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) declared the previously passed amendments to the budget allocation law invalid. "There are not enough members to override the Cabinet motion," Wang said.

Despite the victory, the Cabinet pledged yesterday to make sweeping changes to the budget allocation law to provide local governments more financial autonomy without diminishing central government oversight of public money.

The Ministry of Finance yesterday said it would put forth a new version of amendments to the budget allocation law within three months.

Of the 225 lawmakers, 213 took part in yesterday's vote, which was conducted by open ballot. KMT lawmaker Tseng-Tsai Mei-tso (曾蔡美佐), who represents Yunlin County, cast an invalid ballot. Seven others abstained. The remaining members took a leave of absence.

The ruling camp said its success yesterday was a result of the Cabinet's efforts to paint the issue as a matter of public policy versus partisan interests.

To play down partisan aspects of the vote, the DPP caucus said it wouldn't punish members who vote against the party line. It also won the support from the Taiwan Solidarity Union as well as a handful of independents.

"The vote provided a second chance to consider a hastily passed revision," said Wang Tuoh (王拓), the DPP's new legislative whip.

Still, the vote forced some DPP members to choose between their party and their constituents. DPP lawmakers representing Kaohsiung were under pressure to uphold the amendments, as the city stood to gain an additional NT$12 billion annually.

A few opposition members whose constituencies stood to lose funds went against their parties. KMT lawmakers Chen Hung-chang (陳宏昌) and Yang Wen-hsin (楊文欣), representing Taipei and Taichung Counties, respectively, opted not to attend the vote. PFP Aboriginal lawmakers Lin Cheng-erh (林正二) and Lin Chung-te (林春德) also stayed away.