The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met for only three minutes early this morning to discuss the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), as debates continue about proposed amendments.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) led legislators into the meeting room as soon as doors opened at dawn, with fellow KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) acting as this session’s committee chair.
Chen scheduled debates for Oct. 7 and 21, as well as further reviews for Monday, today and tomorrow to debate the 22 proposals currently under review.
Photo: CNA
None of the drafts were submitted by the Executive Yuan.
The proposals seek to increase the proportion of taxes that go to local governments, rather than the central government, which could reduce its ability to control national finances and fund major projects related to infrastructure, social welfare and defense.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) said that the KMT “occupied” the meeting.
The DPP’s stance is that such an important law such as the one in question requires consensus from the counties and cities, as well as the central government, Lin said.
The DPP in prior meetings has had plenty of opportunities to speak, Chen said, adding that she wishes the session could be conducted peacefully.
Dozens of KMT legislators gathered at the committee room early shouting slogans, followed by Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers arriving with signs that called for more equitable resource allocation, causing DPP lawmakers to condemn the disruption of proceedings.
Chen arrived at the committee at 5:40am, with the meeting scheduled to start at 9am.
When it did commence, she read through the proposed amendments, and after no consensus was reached, adjourned the meeting at 9:03am.
‘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
RSS