The Legislative Yuan today rejected the Executive Yuan’s request to reconsider amendments to the fiscal planning act passed earlier this month.
The legislature voted on the request, with the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) using their majority to reject the reconsideration and uphold the original legislation by 59 to 50 votes.
If more than half all legislators, 57 or more, vote to reject a reconsideration and uphold the original legislation, then the Executive Yuan must accept that decision, according to the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文).
Photo: CNA
The legislature on Nov. 14 passed amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), which the Cabinet said are difficult, if not impossible, to implement.
The amendments would impair the central government’s ability to adjust subsidies to local governments, exceed the annual borrowing ceiling and hinder the smooth implementation of several central government policies, the Executive Yuan said, asking the legislature to reconsider the amendments on Thursday last week.
Party caucuses agreed to review the request today after reaching a consensus in a cross-party negotiation yesterday, but did not invite Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) to explain the Executive Yuan’s reasoning, instead designating one representative from each caucus to speak.
During the review this morning, Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said that the opposition had pushed through three flawed amendments to the fiscal planning act.
Cho in March warned the legislature that last year’s amendments were problematic, but the opposition’s amendments in November repeated the same mistakes, so it is no wonder the opposition did not invite Cho to explain the reconsideration request this time, Chung said.
Cho, who requests a reconsideration every time the legislature passes a bill he does not like, has filed the most reconsiderations of any premier, yet each time his request fails, KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said.
Treating reconsiderations as a mere game shows the arrogance of the Executive Yuan and its disregard for legislative power, Lai said.
Today, the opposition must defend the normal functioning of the nation’s constitutional system by rejecting the Executive Yuan’s baseless reconsideration, he said.
It is time to set things right and defend local government subsidies, which the Executive Yuan has unlawfully slashed by more than NT$200 billion (US$6.4 billion), TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷) said, adding that opposition parties aim to recover that funding.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS