The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday voted to unfreeze this year’s budget for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the National Development Council (NDC).
The committee examined and discussed the proposals before deciding to unfreeze NT$9 billion (US$300 million) of the economic ministry’s budget, including NT$2.3 billion for science and technology projects and NT$2.3 billion for subsidies to the Petroleum Fund and Energy Fund.
About NT$430 million was also unfrozen from the NDC’s budget.
Photo: Liao Chia-ning, Taipei Times
The decisions are to be transferred to a full session of the Legislative Yuan for approval.
The Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of this year’s central government budget on Jan. 21, freezing the operating expenses of the ministry by 10 to 50 percent and of the council by 30 percent.
Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) and NDC Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂), who were present at the meeting, expressed their gratitude to lawmakers, including Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh I-feng (謝衣鳯) and Democratic Progressive Party legislators Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) and Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩).
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