Opposition lawmakers gave top government statistician Lin Chuan (林全) a rough ride during a committee hearing yesterday, faulting him for failing to balance the budget in contempt of legislative oversight.
Lin, at whose advice the Cabinet earlier moved to veto the disputed amendments to funding rules, welcomed lawmakers to seek a constitutional redress, saying he found it difficult to close the gap in line with the terms laid out by the legislature.
At issue is a budgetary shortfall of NT$68.5 for this year for which the Cabinet is prohibited from filling with surplus revenues or public bonds. The legislature attached the ban in a resolution to the budget bill at the end of last legislative session.
"The Cabinet, when finding the resolution difficult to comply with, should seek to overturn it rather than ignore it altogether," said Thomas Lee (
On Jan. 18, the legislature trimmed NT$12 billion, or 0.7 percent, from the planned spending of NT$1.58 trillion for the current fiscal year. The then KMT-dominated body, however, cut NT$80.5 billion from the projected revenues and required the Cabinet in a resolution to balance the accounts to ensure the nation's financial health.
The executive branch has said it would request extra funding later this year to solve the dispute, which it notes may also be settled with surplus revenues at the end of the fiscal year.
Lin, head of the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, said he agreed to a balanced budget but added that the Cabinet had no obligation to abide by a legislative resolution whose legality is in question.
"The Cabinet is not obligated to obey the resolution, which by barring the use of surplus funds or public bonds to fill the gap, stands in violation of the budgetary codes," Lin said.
He suggested the legislature take the initiative and alter the resolution to end the stalemate instead.
Norman Ying (
"No foreseeable concerns may justify a request of additional funds," he said, adding that the Cabinet must turn in all surplus revenues to the state coffers, if there are any.
Ying said the PFP is mulling referring Lin to the Control Yuan for investigation or asking the Council of Grand Justices to rule on the constitutionality of what he called the Cabinet's arrogance.
KMT lawmaker Her Jyh-huei (
Lin denied any political motivation and welcomed lawmakers to take the newest row to the constitutional court.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is to make it compulsory for all fishing vessels with gross tonnage under 20 tonnes to install an automatic identification system (AIS) by next year to prevent Chinese speedboat incursions. CGA Director-General Chang Chung-lung (張忠龍) said his agency has been in talks with the Maritime Port Bureau and the Fisheries Agency to demand that all Taiwanese fishing vessels to install an AIS before the end of next year. All Taiwanese offshore fishing vessels with gross tonnage of 20 tonnes or higher have already installed an AIS, an automatic tracking system that uses transceivers on ships and is
Prosecutors yesterday questioned Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲), while members of the other two main political parties called on Ko, a former Taipei mayor, to come clean about the ongoing corruption probe. Ko was taken by bailiffs to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, where he was questioned for two-and-a-half hours in the morning, returning at about noon to the Taipei Detention Center in New Taipei City, where he has been held in pretrial detention since Sept. 5. In the afternoon, prosecutors reportedly asked Pong about his role while working in Ko’s