Taipei City residents will each bear the equivalent of NT$74,248 in debt as part of the Taipei City Government’s budget plan for next year.
The report, which was presented to the Taipei City Council yesterday, showed that next year’s revenues would total NT$141 billion (US$4.35 billion), while expenditure would amount to NT$172 billion.
Adding to the NT$7 billion in debt it is required to pay off next year, Taipei City Government would carry an overall debt of NT$38 billion.
The average debt each resident carries has increased around NT$10,000 since 2006, as the accumulated debt of the city government has increased to NT$195 billion, the report said.
Taipei City councilors across party lines voiced their worries about the city government’s finances and urged Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to find ways to raise revenues for the city.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said about NT$11 billion of the NT$38 billion deficit would be used to pay health insurance subsidies to the central government’s Bureau of National Health Insurance, and said Hau should not pay for former mayor Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) flawed policies.
The Supreme Administrative Court ruled against the city government last year and asked it to pay the health insurance subsidy debt that was accrued between 1999 and 2002. The ruling cannot be appealed again, but the city government has the right to negotiate with the central government on the details.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) said the KMT caucus did not agree with the ruling and would join the DPP in cutting the payment from the budget plan. Hau should continue negotiating with the central government on the issue, Chiang said.
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