The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a NT$30,000 (US$1,002) monthly allowance for voluntary military service members and higher salaries for those in combat units, in a bid to boost flagging military recruitment and retention.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, which proposed the amendments to the Pay Act of the Armed Forces (軍人待遇條例), said that salaries must be raised to reflect increased frequency of duties and training, as well as boost recruitment incentives and retain top talent.
As rising cross-strait tensions have increased the workload of combat units, the bill introduces a new allowance to incentivize recruitment, the KMT caucus said.
Photo: CNA
The bill standardizes regional allowances by eliminating restrictions based on service category and rank, emphasizing instead that such allowances should be determined by the remoteness and inconvenience of the service location, the caucus said.
It also allows for overtime pay, so that if service members do not use all their leave, they can convert it into pay.
In addition, it stipulates that salaries should be appropriately adjusted so that military personnel’s income is not affected by inflation.
The bill, which passed its third reading, is set to go into effect from Jan. 1 next year.
Earlier yesterday morning, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that the bill contravenes the Budget Act (預算法) and the Constitution, and urged lawmakers not to “repeat the same mistakes” or the Executive Yuan would take action if necessary.
The Budget Act stipulates that if the Legislative Yuan introduces legislation that would significantly increase the annual expenditure of the central government, it must consult the Executive Yuan, he said.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus also held a news conference earlier yesterday to explain its version of the amendment, after it failed to reach a consensus with the KMT caucus on a consolidated bill.
TPP Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) said the military is struggling to recruit and retain people, and an increasing number of volunteer service members have been retiring.
About half of the early discharge applications are due to insufficient salary and benefits, she said, adding that all members of the TPP caucus agree that raising salaries is the fastest way to retain talent.
As the government plans to spend 3 percent of GDP on defense next year, the budget is sufficient to cover these raises, she said.
The TPP caucus’ proposal sought to increase and standardize compensation for volunteer soldiers, rather than instating a salary increase across the board.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) accused the opposition alliance, which has a majority in the Legislative Yuan, of undercutting national defense spending while approving wage increases for the military.
The KMT is mandating that the government spend an additional NT$38.6 billion to increase the wages for the military, which could be unconstitutional, she said.
It is clear the KMT is doing everything it can to pander to the public and detract from the recall campaigns, she said.
The DPP government has increased military wages four times since it has been in power, compared with the one time that wages were increased under former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), she added.
In other developments, the Legislative Yuan yesterday also passed an amendment extending tax breaks for energy-efficient appliances until Dec. 31, 2029, four days before they were due to expire.
Article 11-1 of the Commodity Tax Act (貨物稅條例) reduces taxes on new energy-efficient refrigerators, air-conditioners and dehumidifiers by NT$2,000 per unit.
The reduction was set to expire on Saturday, before lawmakers passed the amendment to keep it in effect.
The act only applies to new appliances that are classified as first or second-level energy efficient by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
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