With the current legislative session ending in two weeks, the ruling DPP caucus indicated yesterday that it will begin an all-out push to overcome resistance to several bills the Cabinet has labeled as priority.
A total of 34 bills, chiefly aimed at translating the conclusions of the Economic Development Advisory Conference into public policies, still await review in addition to this year's fiscal budget, DPP legislative whip Tsai Huang-liang (
"We must hurry up as time is running out," he said.
Leaders from all legislative caucuses will meet tomorrow to hammer out the agenda for the remainder of the session.
Bills that fail to become law will be ditched in line with a recently adopted rule which stipulates that proponents would have to introduce the bills anew if they aim to push for their passage. In the past, bills that have passed their first reading may stay and proceed to their second and third readings despite the swearing-in of new legislators.
Tsai said the reform has exerted extra pressure on him and fellow negotiators, who are charged with the task of defusing opposition protests.
Among the priority bills are the proposed cut in property gains taxes, a plan to raise the ceiling of government debts and assorted administrative organic and procedural rules.
The People First Party and the New Party have expressed reservations about halving the land incremental value taxes on the grounds that the measure may not genuinely help stimulate the real-estate market but will further strain state coffers.
Despite its own qualms, the Cabinet agreed to the cut at the request of leading industrialists.
Tsai said that the DPP would motion a vote, if necessary, to break the opposition's boycott. He admitted that the move is risky, as the party lacks a majority in the legislature.
In addition, there may not be enough legislators around to call for a vote.
Many lawmakers who failed to retain their seats in the Dec. 1 legislative polls have displayed little interest in attending the legislature, while their victorious counterparts say they need more time to recover from intensive campaigning.
Their frequent absence allowed DPP lawmakers to wrap up committee reviews by proposing a modest cut of the budgetary bill. But later the opposition alliance struck an accord to raise the proposed reduction to NT$25 billion.
The move drew strong protests from the DPP caucus.
"The cut will hinder the administration in the coming year," Tsai said. "The opposition parties can not further reduce funding without good reasons."
He said the party would take the issue to the public if opposition parties insist on slashing the proposed budget.
At the insistence of the New Party, the legislature set aside the budget for the Mainland Affairs Council, pending the council's explanation of why it reneged on a pledge to allow domestic airlines to fly in Chinese airspace after the terrorist attacks in the US.
The present legislature is due to close on Jan. 19, and newly elected legislators will take their oaths of office on Feb. 1.
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