The legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday voted to fully release the frozen budget of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Public Construction Commission.
Procedures would not be completed until a final review at a plenary session.
In this year’s general budget plan, which passed its third reading by the Legislative Yuan, NT$13.6 billion (US$450.96 million) of funds allocated to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and its subordinate agencies had been frozen.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Ministry of Digital Affairs originally proposed an operating budget of NT$8.659 billion this year, but NT$3.582 billion had been cut by the legislature, a 41 percent reduction. The currently approved budget stands at NT$5.077 billion, of which NT$1.725 billion was frozen.
The Public Construction Commission said that it is responsible for reviewing public construction plans and basic designs across the nation, but more than NT$103.75 million of its operational budget this year had been frozen.
Members of the Transportation Committee voted to unfreeze all frozen budgetary items for the two ministries and the commission.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) thanked legislators for their support.
“The full release of this budget is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of all our colleagues at the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. It is also a driving force for steady progress. The ministry will continue to be a strong pillar of support for the nation’s transportation needs,” Chen said.
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