Lawmakers yesterday rejected the Executive Yuan’s motions to reconsider the general budget and amendments to a law governing revenue allocations in a vote split along party lines.
In a 61-to-51 vote, the opposition-dominated legislature overrode the motions to reconsider the general budget and amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法).
In January, the Legislative Yuan voted to slash government spending by 6.6 percent, a historically deep cut, sparking a fierce clash between the opposition-controlled body and President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The government had warned that the budget cuts would jeopardize essential programs ranging from national defense to the energy grid and agriculture.
Yesterday’s vote entered the budget into effect and sends the amendments to Lai’s desk.
All 52 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, independent lawmakers Chen Chao-ming (陳超明) and May Chin (高金素梅), who reliably vote with the KMT, and seven of the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) eight legislators-at-large voted against the motions.
Former TPP legislator-at-large Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城) resigned from his post last month after becoming embroiled in an ongoing anti-corruption probe. Wu’s replacement, Liu Shu-pin (劉書彬), a professor of political science at Soochow University, was not yet sworn in and could not vote.
All 51 Democratic Progressive Party legislators voted for the motions.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday told a plenary session that the legislature even compelled the Executive Yuan to take the initiative in slashing NT$63.6 billion (US$1.93 billion) from the budget without telling officials which programs should be cut.
The move likely contravened the constitutional division of powers, he said.
Article 49 of the Budget Act (預算法) stipulates that budget proposals must be “determined by the accounts of the agency, function and the fund,” Cho said.
He said the cuts and the funding suspensions would cripple government agencies’ ability to perform their functions, adding that the NT$100 billion cuts to Taiwan Power Co subsidies jeopardize the economy.
The proposed changes to the revenues and expenditures law would overturn the central government’s financial relationship with local governments, which infringes on the executive branch’s authority to allocate funds as stipulated by Article 147 of the Constitution, he said.
Under Article 3 of the Constitution, the Executive Yuan may with the president’s approval request that the legislature reconsider a bill, requiring lawmakers to vote on the matter again within 15 days of the motion’s receipt.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS