The Executive Yuan today announced plans to cut subsidies for local governments by 25 percent across the board and is to decide on future funding based on the results of constitutional judgments.
The Cabinet’s decision followed the central government budget passed by the Legislative Yuan earlier this year that required the Executive Yuan to reduce the budget by more than NT$63.6 billion (US$2.117 billion).
Several city government heads today urged the Cabinet to reconsider the decision, including New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Miaoli County Commissioner Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦).
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The cuts are a violation of the law and abuse of power, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said today.
The Legislative Yuan has not made any cuts to the local subsidies, and the Executive Yuan has no authority to unilaterally cut them, Wang said.
Statistics compiled by the KMT caucus showed that the government is seeking to punish local governments, she said.
KMT Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡) said that the reduction of subsidies to local governments would widen the gap between urban and rural residents and treats those living in counties like second-class citizens.
Every grievance has a source, and every debt has an owner, DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said today, blaming the subsidy cuts on the previously passed government budget.
The Executive Yuan and all Taiwanese are “victims” of the KMT and TPP, Wu said.
The central government is not required to provide these subsidies, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said today, adding that the decision is in accordance with relevant regulations.
The Legislative Yuan cut NT$207.6 billion from the budget, of which NT$143.9 billion has already been removed by the central government, Lee said.
Many of the budget cuts impacted specific items and agency budgets, Lee added, and reducing subsidies is one of the very few ways left for the government to avoid serious impacts on security, diplomacy and education.
The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics’ (DGBAS) reduction of local subsidies is equally in line with the Legislative Yuan’s general budget cuts, she added.
The Executive Yuan has requested a constitutional judgment and is to discuss the next steps based on the results, Lee said.
The government understands the difficulties faced by local governments in response to these cuts and would look for ways to assist them, DGBAS Deputy Director Chen Hui-chuan (陳慧娟) said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS