The Executive Yuan and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus have their sights on clearing six major items through the legislature with the new legislative session to begin on Tuesday next week, officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday.
The six items are: the general budget, the budget for state-run businesses for the current fiscal year, the special budget for the procurement of 66 F-16V jets, a proposal to abolish the Stamp Tax Act (印花稅法) and the nomination of five Central Election Commission members and the auditor-general, they said.
As the legislative elections are to be held on Jan. 11 next year and a substantial proportion of lawmakers will be campaigning, leaving them with less time to review proposals, Executive Yuan and caucus executives agreed to not list priority bills, the officials said.
Photo: CNA
However, two proposals concerning the US-China trade dispute that were to be discussed during the previous session might be reviewed, they said.
A proposed amendment to the Foreign Trade Act (貿易法) aims to prevent Chinese-made products shipped to the nation being labeled “Made in Taiwan” and a proposed amendment to the Trade Secrets Act (營業秘密法) would allow prosecutors to issue confidentiality orders for investigations that involve the operations of technology firms to help prevent their commercial secrets from being leaked.
The Executive Yuan attaches high importance to the general budget for the next fiscal year, as well as the budget for the operations of state-run businesses in the current fiscal year, which should have been approved two sessions ago, the officials said.
Of the six items, the proposal to repeal the Stamp Tax Act is expected to be the most contentious. While the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has united 15 mayors and commissioners in administrative regions that it governs to oppose the proposal, other opposition lawmakers have said that they would not block the proposal, they said.
The budget for procuring the F-16Vs should not meet with opposition from the pan-blue camp and is expected to pass, they said.
The Executive Yuan has nominated Soochow University professor of political science Huang Hsiu-tuan (黃秀端), Deputy Minister of the Interior Chih Chang-yueh (邱昌嶽), National University of Kaohsiung professor of economics and financial law Evelyn Chen (陳越端), National Chengchi University associate professor of political science Lin Chao-chi (林超琦) and National Cheng Kung University associate professor of political science Meng Chih-cheng (蒙志成) to fill five posts that are to be vacated by retiring members, while President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has nominated Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Deputy Minister Chen Ruei-min (陳瑞敏) for auditor-general.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
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