Opting against reviving debate on cutting taxes, President Chen Shui-bian (
The conference's finance panel backed the proposal to cut taxes with a majority vote on Saturday, but not a full consensus.
In response, the president indicated later that day that the government should try to achieve a consensus regarding the proposal during the final meeting yesterday.
"Although many proposals with majority support did not achieve a full consensus, these proposals do have their merit as policy and are feasible ... including lowering [rates] on the land transaction tax," Chen said in his closing address at yesterday's meeting. "This part will be left to the Executive Yuan to carry on by coordinating with the legislature, in order to revive the domestic economy."
Lai Shyh-bao (
According to Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
But Chang did not go along with Chen's idea, according to Lai.
"Chang insisted that it would not fit within the conference's rules. Furthermore, the Executive Yuan can choose any majority suggestion to execute. Therefore, it was not suitable to readdress the issue at the final meeting," Wang said.
More than 80 lawmakers support the proposals to cut taxes, according to local media reports.
Formosa Plastics Group Chairman Wang Yung-ching (王永慶) last week also strongly opposed tax-cut proposals made by industry leaders and business representatives.
He said that tax cuts were not an effective stimulus to revive a sluggish economy, and that the tax-cut issue was not an appropriate issue for the conference.
Academics and government officials, including Minister of Finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章) and Director-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Lin Chuan (林全), have strongly opposed cutting taxes prior to finding new sources of government revenue.
The final meeting yesterday also scuppered other controversial suggestions regarded as politically motivated.
During discussion of cross-strait trading policy, New Party representative Fei Hung-tai (費鴻泰) proposed that the government should accept the so-called 1992 consensus that leaves each side free to make its own interpretation of the `one China' policy. This would thereby allow Taiwan to resume negotiations with Beijing.
"Without this basic stance, Taiwan can't restore dialogue with China," Fei said, "and therefore we should put the suggestion into the conference's resolutions."
Fei's suggestion was echoed by other New Party, PFP and KMT representatives, but opposed by the DPP.
"What is the definition of the `1992 consensus?' The argument exists not only between Beijing and Taiwan but also among all political parties in Taiwan," said DPP lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯).
"The issue should be discussed in another meeting," he said.
DPP representatives had threatened before the meeting that if pro-unification politicians insisted on passing the "1992 consensus" as one of the conference's resolutions, the DPP would retract its previous consent to adjust the "no haste, be patient" policy.
Conference members ultimately put Fei's proposal onto a list of "different suggestions."
Meanwhile, a KMT proposal that advocated allowing the "majority alliance" or "biggest party" to organize the Cabinet after the year-end legislative election was also ignored by the meeting.
Vice speaker of the Legislative Yuan Yao Eng-chi (
"To stabilize the political situation and thoroughly eliminate the vicious struggle between parties," Yao said, "we suggest setting a rule for establishing the future government."
DPP lawmaker Lin Feng-hsi (
"The KMT still dreams that it will maintain the majority in the legislature after the year-end elections," Lin said before the meeting. "We will not allow the KMT to kidnap President Chen."
Yao's proposal was also placed in the category marked "different suggestion."
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