A group of lawmakers from the ruling DPP took a legislative resolution blocking national health insurance fee hikes to the Judicial Yuan yesterday and sought a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices.
Chiang Chau-yi (江昭儀), Hou Shui-sheng and Hsieh Ming-yuan (謝明源) met Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Yang Jen-shou (楊仁壽) to convey their stance and submitted a petition endorsed by 87 lawmakers of the DPP and its political ally, the TSU.
Chiang said the legislature's resolution made Jan. 10 opposing the hikes imposed by the Department of Health on insurance premiums and self-payment fees under the National Health Insurance Program is against terms stipulated in the Budget Law (預算法), National Health Insurance Law (健保法) and other pieces of legislation. "Therefore, the resolution is non-binding," he argued.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Hou said a constitutional interpretation on the issue by the Council of Grand Justices is necessary because strong opposition from the opposition KMT and PFP to approval of the hikes has caused trouble for the administration.
Meanwhile, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) claimed that the resolution is indeed fully binding because it was worked out under the legal foundation provided by the 52nd article of the Budget Law.
Wang made the remarks in response to a statement issued a day earlier by Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義), who accused the legislature of overlooking the country's constitutional system.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
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The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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