The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said yesterday it would oppose the Cabinet’s draft statute to boost public construction, calling the proposal careless and irresponsible.
DPP whip William Lai (賴清德) told a press conference that the Cabinet proposal was just 475 characters long, had just seven articles, lacked details of public construction projects and spending plans and would require a budget of NT$420.3 billion (US$12.6 billion).
DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) said the Cabinet included clauses that would allow for the public construction schemes to avoid conflicts with the Budget Law (預算法), which states that funds raised by loans must be used in capital investments, and the Public Debt Act (公共債務法), which places a ceiling on government debt, as well as the Law Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), which regulates the financial obligations of the central and local governments.
But while the proposal would allow the government to avoid any restrictions or supervision in funding the construction, it does not say where the money will go or what the spending will achieve, Yeh said.
“The draft is like the government giving legislators a blank check and asking them to sign it with the public picking up the tab,” Yeh said, adding that the DPP caucus would not accept it.
Lai said the caucus was also opposed to allowing the consumer vouchers bill to skip a preliminary review. The DPP wants a thorough review of the bill, he said.
DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said a Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics report showed the jobless rate rose for the fourth straight month last month to a five-year high of 4.27 percent. The DPP said the government should review its policies, he said.
Helping people find jobs should be the priority, not bolstering the stock market, Cheng said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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