The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government will prioritize passage of a cross-strait agreement on double taxation avoidance as well as bills on the budget, government restructuring and an all-volunteer military in the fall legislative session, Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said yesterday.
Mao said the Cabinet would also push a special budget bill to finance a river basin management plan, an amendment to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to raise wages for their employees and legislation promoting industrial innovation.
He listed the government’s priorities at a forum held by the KMT’s Policy Committee to discuss the legislature’s operations and coordination with the government before the new session begins today.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who is the party’s presidential candidate, were all present at the forum.
Among the government’s top priorities is the ratification of an agreement between Taiwan and China that aims to protect Taiwanese businesses with operations in China from paying taxes on the same income on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The double taxation avoidance agreement was signed last month by Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) on behalf of their respective governments.
Ministry of Finance officials last month said that the pact would reduce the tax burden of Taiwanese companies and also offer an incentive for foreign companies to set up operations in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, KMT lawmakers at the forum called on party heavyweights to improve cooperation and solidarity before the January presidential and legislative elections, to avoid putting the party’s chances at risk.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said that despite the Democratic Progressive Party’s internal bickering, it at least presented a united front during elections.
On the other hand, polling revealed that no one believes the KMT has the same willingness to maintain solidarity, he said.
“Legislators are often the ones sacrificed, because our party’s heavyweights cannot work together,” Lin said, adding that he hoped the KMT’s principals would be able to talk things out.
The president said he fully supported the idea and would “do everything in my power, wherever I am needed.”
Chu said solidarity was important, adding that everyone at the forum was considered a “member of the upper echelon of the party.”
“We must work together in order for our 880,000 members to be united in purpose,” Chu said, adding that only then would the party get the support it needs.
Wang said coordinated efforts by the Cabinet, the legislature and the KMT to push the bills through would be very helpful to the party’s chances in the January polls.
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