Projects and services benefiting the public are to be severely affected if an amendment to fiscal planning law passed on Friday last week is officially promulgated, government agencies said yesterday.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) on Monday said that the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) would take effect three days after it is promulgated by President William Lai (賴清德).
Next year’s overall government budget would be seriously affected by the amendments and might need to be reallocated, she added.
Photo: CNA
Under the changes, the central government needs to allocate NT$375.3 billion (US$11.49 billion) to local governments, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said.
As a result, funding for the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Ministry of National Defense would be reduced by 28 percent, it said.
Speaking to reporters yesterday prior to a news conference, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) said that the amendments would cause public health and social welfare funds to shrink, including childcare subsidies.
It would also affect the health ministry’s efforts to strengthen cancer prevention and expand free cancer screenings, as well as funding for cancer treatments, research and drugs, Chiu said.
Efforts aimed at countering the declining birthrate, including childcare subsidies for children aged 2 and younger, various childcare services and subsidies for assisted reproduction treatments would also be impacted, he said.
Health and welfare policies have nationwide significance and cannot be determined solely based on local preferences, he added.
“We place great emphasis on overall inclusiveness, ensuring that all citizens have equal access to healthcare regardless of which county or city they live in,” Chiu said.
That requires the central government to have sufficient resources to improve healthcare, social welfare and medical services, and create better working conditions for medical and healthcare professionals, he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said that the amendments would mean a significant budget reduction for his ministry and affect inter-regional initiatives such as waste management and the net zero carbon goals.
The environment ministry faces budget cuts of up to NT$2 billion due to the amendments, Peng told reporters.
The central government would have less capacity to contribute to net zero carbon initiatives, which means net zero carbon targets might need to be adjusted, he said.
Subsidies for electric buses, which improve air quality and often support disadvantaged regions, could also be impacted, he added.
The environment ministry currently handles construction and waste management projects by coordinating with local governments, but if funding is shifted to local governments, local authorities would need to shoulder more responsibility and differing priorities between regions could lead to certain issues being overlooked, Peng said.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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