The central government's budget bill for fiscal 2001 finally made its way onto the legislative agenda yesterday after the majority KMT decided to "conditionally" drop its effort to obstruct the bill's passage.
Legislators voted 129 to eight, with seven abstentions, to ratify a plan to invite Premier Tang Fei
The legislature's procedure committee has set this Friday as the date for presentation of the budget.
The interpellation session will follow immediately after the presentation and is expected to last two weeks, after which the budget bill will be referred to committees for review.
Presentation of the budget bill had been delayed for two weeks, largely due to opposition from the KMT caucus.
The KMT had refused to allow the presentation of the budget to proceed, saying the government had not cut costs by NT$510 billion as some Cabinet members had claimed they would.
KMT legislators had demanded that some Cabinet officials appear before the legislature to explain their cost-cutting promises and remarks insinuating that the former KMT government had been wasteful and corrupt.
In addition to Lin Chuan, KMT legislators also wanted to hear from Chen Ding-nan (
Reporting to the KMT caucus on Monday, the four officials admitted that their remarks were not based on accurate calculations and that they had not meant to criticize the KMT.
The KMT caucus agreed to let the issue slide, though a few members, led by Chen Ching-pao (
Despite opposition from Chen Ching-pao and seven other legislators, a majority of legislators voted yesterday to give the green light to the presentation of the budget bill.
Lu Shiow-yen (
"We are glad to see the budget bill enter the legislative agenda. Through the opposition of a small minority, we hope to remind the government officials to mind their words in the future," Lu said.
Lu said another reason behind the move was to show the legislators' disapproval of the "careless" and "inaccurate" way in which the budget bills were drafted.
Wong Chung-chun
Wong said Premier Tang should promise to take steps to make the spending plan more transparent, included completing the allocation of NT$9.4 billion in tax revenues for local governments and providing detailed allocation criteria for a NT$97 billion subsidy fund for local governments.
The government, ruled by the DPP, which is a minority party in the Legislative Yuan, had two previous versions of its fiscal budget for next year rejected last week.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was