The Taipei City Council is expected to pass a NT$6.68 billion (US$208 million) budget the Cabinet allocated to the Taipei City Government today as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilors challenged the city government’s capability to boost the municipal economy in the long term.
The Cabinet had budgeted NT$116 billion to boost domestic demand and allocated NT$58.3 billion to 25 local governments in proportion to the population of each city and county, with the funds to be used in construction projects proposed by local governments.
In response to the Cabinet’s demand that local governments should subcontract the construction projects by the end of this year, the council yesterday held a two-day provisional meeting to review the budget proposal and is expected to pass the proposal today as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has a majority on the council.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Seeking its approval for the proposal, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday reported the proposal to the council, saying that all departments had considered the long-term effects of the construction projects on municipal development before drawing up their plans. Hau urged councilors to support the budget for municipal development.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤), however, condemned the city government for allocating almost half of the construction budget in advance in order to dodge examination by the council.
Of about NT$3.4 billion of the budget remaining, NT$2.2 billion was given to restart construction projects suspended because of soaring raw material prices, so the council would have no choice but to pass that section as the suspended projects had already been approved, Wu said.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) joined Wu and other DPP members in criticizing Hau and the city government for failing to present a comprehensive budget proposal and for abusing the budget.
“The budget is a gift falling from the sky, but it doesn’t mean that the city government can use the money for whatever it wants,” Chien said.
The construction project for sports facilities for next year’s Taipei Deaflympics, which was budgeted at NT$2.1 billion, accounted for the biggest part of the budget, followed by NT$500 million budgeted to the 2010 Taipei International Expo, and NT$300 million for the Shezi Bridge project.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
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A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
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