The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee today reviewed amendments to budgeting allocation law, despite opposition from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members, who called for review of the stalled budget before any changes to the law are passed.
DPP Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said that reviewing the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) before approving a national budget would damage institutional integrity and paralyze the central government.
Photo: Cheng Chi-fang, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) responded by saying the current financial planning law is 25 years old and merits revisions.
Chen, who arranged the session as well as a prior public hearing on the proposals, said she plans to hold further reviews of the amendments until they are passed to ensure that all opinions are considered.
DPP legislators have called for the focus to be on the central government’s general budget first, which is still stuck in the Procedure Committee.
DPP Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) held up a sign and shouted for lawmakers to prioritize the budget rather than the proposals.
DPP legislators Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) mentioned that amending the act would have major consequences, so discussions should include the division of authority between the central and local governments.
DPP Legislator Lai Hui-yuan (賴惠員) said this is not only about money, but also about duties and responsibilities, such as farmer subsidies and healthcare for senior citizens.
KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) said that given the reality of how local governments rely on the central government for funding, the Ministry of Finance should also propose amendments to the law.
KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) rejected the claim that the KMT failed to review the budget for next year, replying that it has asked the Executive Yuan to submit a budget that reflects new allocations in accordance with the law, and that the processes can occur in parallel.
When pressed by critics about the rush to pass amendments and review the budget, Chen asked the Executive Yuan to quickly submit its own proposals, as the committee would not wait.
Of the 22 proposed amendments, none were proposed by the Cabinet.
Minister of Finance Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲) was not present at the meeting as he was attending the APEC Summit, with his Deputy Minister Frank Juan (阮清華) responding to questions by saying that the amendments should take into account the needs of both local and central authorities to achieve a win-win solution.
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