With the legislature due to open on Sept. 13, the Democratic Progres-sive Party (DPP) legislative caucus and the Executive Yuan reached a consensus yesterday to make the arms-procurement budget as well as 17 other bills priority bills for the next session.
"All 18 priority bills are important, urgent and meet the public's expectations," DPP caucus whip William Lai (
The 18 bills include the flood-control bill, draft amendments to the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan (
The Executive Yuan also sent copies of next year's policy plan and annual budget to the legislature yesterday.
The executive branch is planning to continue the six-year "challenge 2008" national development plan and the new 10 major construction projects, which are aimed at building the country into a democratic and prosperous society and making the nation the most competitive in Asia.
To that end, the government will focus on six main areas, including resuming cross-strait dialogue, popularizing civil diplomacy and consolidating national peace and security; and continuing its restructuring efforts to establish a clean and efficient government.
The Executive Yuan estimated next year's annual revenues will be NT$1.4 trillion, while annual expenditures will be NT$1.5 trillion.
The projected expenditures represents a 0.5 percent decrease compared with this year, while the annual income is 5.3 percent more than this year.
Of the projected expenditure, NT$323 billion, or 20.2 percent of the total, is earmarked for educational, cultural and scientific purposes. Social welfare spending accounts for 18.5 percent, or NT$296 billion, while national defense expenditures amount to 15.9 percent, or NT$253 billion -- a 1.6 percent increase over this year's spending.
In other news, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses voiced support yesterday for a proposed minimum tax scheme, scheduled to be approved by the Cabinet today.
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
TSU caucus whip David Huang (
The Executive Yuan and DPP caucus on Monday agreed on the terms for a minimum tax scheme: a 10 percent tax on industries and 20 percent tax on individuals.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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