Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Kaohsiung City Councilor Kang Yu-cheng (康裕成) on Tuesday “congratulated” Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Facebook after reports that the city government would receive an additional NT$940 million (US$31.3 million) from the central government.
“There is money to recall [Han],” Kang said. “How does the mayor plan on using it?”
“Please quickly come report to the [Kaohsiung City] Council,” she added.
Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
The Kaohsiung City Government said if it receives the funds, the entire sum would go toward infrastructure.
Hopefully, city councilors can work toward prioritizing the well-being of the city’s residents and improving the city, it added.
Last year, there was a NT$9.16 billion surplus in centrally allocated tax revenue, the National Treasury Administration said.
This year, it can distribute a total of NT$8.63 billion to local governments, it said.
The agency estimated that of the six special municipalities, Taipei would receive the most, NT$1.38 billion, and Tainan would receive the least, NT$630 million.
Estimates show that the Kaohsiung City Government would receive NT$940 million, it said.
The city government had previously said that hosting an election to recall Han would require about NT$80 million.
Holding a mayoral by-election would raise that total to NT$200 million, it said, adding that the process might result in debt.
DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Chiu Chun-hsien (邱俊憲) said that the expected funds from the central government would be enough to cover a recall.
Han’s administration should submit a budget proposal on using the additional funds to the city council, Chiu said.
Using his presidential bid as a pretext, Han avoided the city council’s questioning and supervision of his first budget proposal this year, he said.
Han should return to the city council and explain his administration’s plans for the funds, he added.
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