Negotiations between the Department of Health (DOH) and the Taipei City Government over the health insurance premiums that the city owes the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI) failed yesterday.
The two sides were unable to reach a consensus on the payment method or the method for calculating the city's health insurance fees during yesterday's negotiations.
Yang Ching-chuan (
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Taipei Deputy Mayor Pai Hsiou-hsiung (
Pai yesterday afternoon led a group of city government officials, including City Government Spokesman Wu Yu-sheng (
The city argued that it should not have to pay so much in health insurance premiums for Taipei's citizens, saying it was unfair for the city to pay the bills for 3.58 million people who work in Taipei, when only 2.63 million of them live in the city.
On Monday, the Ministry of Justice's Department of Administrative Enforcement announced the seizure of 30 immovable assets belonging to the Taipei City Government as security. The 30 properties are estimated to be worth about NT$11.2 billion, including elementary schools, hospitals and land reserved for MRT stations.
Earlier in the day, Taipei City Councilors from the pan-blue camp, including the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party (PFP) and the New Party, as well as the Nonpartisan Solidarity Union held a news conference asserting that the central government had overcharged and "extorted" the Taipei City Government.
"It is a typical case that the central government treated people, but the city government paid the check," said PFP City Councilor Dai Hsi-chin (
Dai and PFP City Councilor Wang Chih-ping (
Chang Hong-jen (
"The city government should not spread one-sided information, trying to mislead the public into believing that the central government is bullying the city government," Chang said. "The Taipei City Government knowingly violated the law and overtly refused to honor its debts. There would be no justice if a city government can successfully ignore its liabilities and responsibilities."
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