The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed on first reading the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) proposals to distribute NT$10,000 each to taxpayers and to raise military pay, and sent the proposals to the legislative committees for further review.
Ministry of Finance records showed that the government collected record-high tax revenues of NT$3.76 trillion (US$114.52 billion) last year, exceeding its budget projections by NT$528.3 billion, the KMT said.
Meanwhile, inflation last year rose 2.18 percent for a third straight year, exceeding the government’s target of 2 percent, the KMT said, citing Directorate-General of Statistics, Budgeting and Accounting (DGBAS) data.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The consumer price index rose another 2.66 percent in January, signifying continued increasing pricing pressure, the party said.
The government’s revenue is generated by taxes levied from the people, and the revenue surplus should be shared with the people, the KMT said.
The Executive Yuan, headed by then-premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), in 2022 approved a plan to refund NT$6,000 to taxpayers, it said.
In light of that precedent and as the government has the financial wherewithal, the party has proposed a special tax refund act to distribute NT$10,000 each to taxpayers this year, the KMT said.
The tax refund would be drawn from a special budget, funded by surplus revenue from the previous fiscal year, which should not be limited by Article 23 of the Budget Act (預算法), the draft act states.
The legislation would also only be valid until the end of this year, unless the Legislative Yuan agrees to extend it, the draft says.
The DGBAS has said that the tax surplus should be used to repay national debts or saved for future expenses, such as disaster or pandemic relief, adding that tax refunds should not become a regular thing.
Separately, the KMT proposed amendments that would match the wages of those serving their mandatory military service with the minimum wage, increase payouts for volunteer forces from NT$10,000 to NT$30,000, and increase payouts for combat-duty troops and for overtime.
The amendments would affect the Pay Act of the Armed Forces (軍人待遇條例), the Act of Insurance for Military Personnel (軍人保險條例) and the Veterans’ Assistance Act (國軍退除役官兵輔導條例).
Additional reporting by CNA
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS