Worrying that the government will use the Cabinet's extensive advertsing budget to promote President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the run-up to next year's presidential election, the KMT legislative caucus has vowed to cut off the promotion budgets of state-run-enterprises.
At a press conference yesterday, KMT lawmakers condemned the Cabinet's new practice of combining all departmental promotional budgets to undertake a single annual bulk purchase of media advertising spots. The legislators said they refused to accept the Cabinet's explanation that the old practice -- each department buying its own advertising -- was inefficient
After officials from the Government Information Office and the Cabinet's Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (
The KMT legislative caucus says it will cut off NT $18 billion from state-run Chunghwa Telecom, the Chinese Petroleum Corporation and the Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), as well as from the Department of Health and the Bureau of National Health Insurance.
According the proposal, 50 percent of the advertising budgets for both China Telecom and the Chinese Petroleum Corporation would be cut off. Taipower would lose 60 percent.
The Department of Health and the Bureau of national Health Insurance's promotional budget, NT$ 448 million, would be completely cut off. The KMT said that the department no longer needs that kind of money.
DPP legislators condemned the move.
"It's unfair that even the China Telecom's budget to promote its cell phone service is counted as president Chen's campaign budget," said DPP legislative whip Chen Chi-mai (
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