A report by the Control Yuan yesterday showed that political contributions to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) last year totaled NT$50 million (US$1.7 million) more than those to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and they came mainly from businesses rather than individuals.
The report showed that the KMT received approximately NT$240 million in political donations, while the DPP received about NT$190 million.
That was contrary to the situation the previous year when the DPP received more than double the amount the KMT received in political funds from donors.
The Control Yuan released its annual report on contributions to political parties with data divided into their income in donations from individuals, businesses, private organizations, anonymous sources and others.
The report said the KMT received NT$76.59 million from 1,292 individuals and NT$160 million from businesses, NT$1.2 million from private organizations and NT$120,000 from anonymous sources and others.
In contrast to the KMT, whose donations came mainly from businesses, the DPP drew most of its income from individual donors.
It received about NT$100 million from 7,340 individuals, NT$80.15 million from businesses, NT$1.91 million from private organizations and NT$7.28 million from anonymous sources and others.
The report showed that the Taiwan Solidarity Union had the third-highest income from donations last year with NT$21.53 million, followed by the People First Party, which received NT$10.95 million, and NT$8.74 million donated to the New Party.
In 2008, the DPP received NT$600 million and the KMT received NT$578 million in donations, according to the Control Yuan’s statistics.
The report showed that both the KMT and the DPP received NT$3 million — the maximum legally permissible amount of funds that a corporation can donate to a political party in a year — from several enterprises, including Formosa Plastics Group.
On top of donations left over from previous years, the DPP managed to hold on to NT$51 million after the party spent NT$150 million on elections and other expenses, the report showed.
The KMT spent NT$250 million on election-related expenditure last year and it now holds NT$38 million in political funds left over from donations received in previous years, the Control Yuan report said.
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