The Executive Yuan yesterday pushed back on a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposal to distribute a NT$10,000 (US$304.31) universal cash payment in lieu of reconciling a debate over the general budget.
The Ministry of Finance on Monday revised the tax revenue for last year to NT$3.7619 trillion, exceeding the budget by a record NT$528 billion.
KMT lawmakers called for a universal cash payment of NT$10,000 to every taxpayer.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) yesterday thanked the public on behalf of the government for the hard work that led to the budget surplus.
With regards to the KMT proposal, Lee said that the final tax revenue figure has yet to be calculated by the National Audit Office and that before moving forward, it is necessary for the Legislative Yuan and Executive Yuan to resolve their debate over the central government’s budget.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) is in communication with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) in hopes of resolving the budget issues, Lee added.
The Legislative Yuan has amended the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), reallocating NT$375.3 billion — or 28 percent of the annual government budget — to local governments.
The NT$528 billion surplus also includes a NT$80.2 billion surplus from local government budgets, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.
The government would use the tax revenue to prioritize reducing its debt, increasing debt repayments and maintaining fiscal discipline, the Ministry of Finance said.
Any surplus funds could be used to help finance the future, it added.
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee previously passed a resolution that required at least 5 percent of tax revenue exceeding the central budget to be earmarked for debt repayment.
This would increase the total repayment figure for last year by NT$20 billion to NT$135.8 billion.
Additionally, the government did not use NT$157.1 billion in debt financing available to it.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) yesterday told a news conference that a NT$10,000 cash rebate for each taxpayer would not even cost NT$230 billion, less than half of the surplus.
Tax revenue should be shared by all through investments in social welfare, national defense and economic development, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) told a separate news conference.
The KMT’s proposal would not improve people’s lives and it is an attempt to pander to voters to avoid the consequences of its unpopular actions, Wu said.
If the KMT wants to return tax revenue to the public, “why not start with KMT-led local governments that reported a surplus?” she asked.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS