The Legislative Yuan today passed a NT$60-billion (US$1.95 billion) special budget to rebuild in the aftermath of Typhoon Danas and extensive flooding last month.
The full amount, raised from the NT$56 billion initially proposed by the Cabinet, passed with no cuts, although three motions to freeze aspects of the budget proposed by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) were passed.
Two items under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) electricity budget were conditionally frozen at 10 percent, while one item under the National Communications Commission (NCC) was conditionally frozen at 30 percent.
Photo courtesy of Tainan City Government
Typhoon Danas and torrential rain hit southern Taiwan last month, leading the Cabinet to propose the NT$56-billion special budget on Aug. 7.
The amount was then raised to NT$60 billion, which was passed by the Cabinet on Aug. 21 and by a joint review of five legislative committees, including the Finance Committee, on Wednesday.
Cross-party negotiations were completed yesterday, and the third reading was finalized this morning.
The NT$60 billion would be funded via debt issuance, with the majority, about NT$50.1 billion, allocated to economic development.
Meanwhile, NT$4.6 billion was allocated for general administrative costs, NT$3 billion for reserve funds, NT$1.6 billion for community development and environmental protection, and an additional NT$700 million for education, science and culture.
The highest percentage of the budget would be allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture at NT$20.3 billion, followed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs at NT$18.7 billion and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications at NT$6.9 billion.
About NT$4.6 billion would be allocated to the Council of Indigenous Peoples, while the remainder would be split between the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, plus the reserve fund, the NCC and the Executive Yuan’s Public Construction Commission.
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