Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday rejected a proposal that the central government should assume all debts incurred before the four special municipalities came into being.
Greater Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) made the suggestion at the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday. According to an official attending the meeting who wished to remain anonymous, Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) seconded Liu’s suggestion, followed by Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), who first raised the idea a few days ago.
Local finances have become a major concern after four special municipalities came into being on Dec. 25 last year.
The government plans to amend the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) and increase the budget allocated to the five municipalities from 43 percent to 61 percent.
Heads of other local governments, including Yunlin, Yilan and Chiayi counties, have expressed concern that their counties’ finances will suffer as a result of the bill.
Rejecting Liu’s proposal, the premier was quoted by Executive Yuan Spokesman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) as saying: “Fund shortages are not a problem unique to the five special municipalities, but a problem faced by governments at all levels.”
According to the same official, Lai asked for an additional grant from the central government, noting that Greater Tainan faced a shortage of up to NT$12 billion (US$409.4 million) in funds in the run-up to the Lunar New Year to cover expenses in project payments, year-end bonuses and salaries for government employees.
Lai also expressed dissatisfaction over the central government agreeing to cover the National Health Insurance premiums owed by Taipei City and the previous Kaohsiung City governments to the Bureau of National Health Insurance, according to the official. Lai demanded that the central government appropriate funds for the special municipalities to pay their shares of premiums accrued from the farmers’ insurance program.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) urged the central government to pay more attention to the financial health of local governments and establish a mechanism to encourage local governments to increase tax revenue.
Commenting on Liu’s suggestion that the central government should take over all debt prior to the merger, Hau said: “Local governments should not ask the central government to shoulder all of their financial burdens, but the central government should establish a mechanism to reward those local governments that come up with ways to increase city revenue without depending on subsidies from the central government.”
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as