The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has prepared close to 4,000 motions to slash or freeze the general budget for next year that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) hopes to pass during the extraordinary session starting next week, KMT caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) said yesterday.
The second legislative plenary session started its recess yesterday, with lawmakers scheduled to meet from Wednesday to Jan. 26 for an extraordinary session.
The state-run enterprises’ budget proposal for this year, the review of which had been obstructed by the KMT submitting more than a 1,000 motions for changes since the last legislative plenary session, finally cleared the floor yesterday.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
However, the general budget proposals for next year are still in limbo, with Sufin yesterday claiming to have prepared about 4,000 motions to slash and freeze funding.
These motions will surely be put to vote and drag out the meeting, which is what the KMT caucus wants, the convener said, urging the DPP caucus to engage in negotiations.
Other than the budget proposals for state-run enterprises, the legislature also cleared several amendment bills yesterday.
Amendments were made to the Act for the Development of Biotech and New Pharmaceuticals Industry (生技新藥產業發展條例) to relax the definition of applications for “high-risk medical devices” and add “biotech and new pharmaceutical products” as a new category.
The Patent Act (專利法) was amended so that those who apply for an invention patent now are allowed an application period of 12 months after disclosure. The restrictions on how the disclosure are made have been scrapped.
Amendments to the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) were made to increase penalties for violations of the act. Those charged with illegally disposing of waste resulting in death can be sentenced to seven years to life imprisonment, with the fine also increasing from no more than NT$30 million (US$929,397) to NT$15 million. Fines for waste disposal resulting in serious injuries were also increased from NT$9 million to NT$25 million, in addition to three to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Prison terms for disposing of waste that leads to human endangerment were increased from one year to between five years and seven years, and the fine raised from NT$6 million at NT$20 million.
The amended act also states that waste incinerators in each city and county should prioritize the municipality’s general waste rather than industrial waste.
The amendment bill to the Special Service Act (特種勤務條例) was cleared to provide medical care and nursing care if special service personnel suffers serious injuries resulting in permanent disability while on duty.
The amendment to the Tax Collection Act (稅捐稽徵法) to extend the tax collection period for taxpayers who owe more than NT$10 million in taxes by five years, thereby pushing the deadline to March 4, 2022, also passed its third reading.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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