The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of across-the-board budget cuts for central government agencies in this fiscal year, reducing overall spending by NT$48 billion (US$1.5 billion), or about 1.689 percent.
The Executive Yuan submitted this fiscal year’s central government budget proposal to the legislature on Aug. 29 last year, projecting NT$2.8623 trillion in revenue and NT$3.035 trillion in expenditure.
Budget deliberations have been delayed for 350 days.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Under the approved cuts, special allowance funds are to be reduced by 60 percent across government agencies, while the special allowance budgets of 20 agencies and institutions, including the Executive Yuan, Judicial Yuan and Control Yuan, are to be eliminated entirely and may not be reallocated.
Spending on media policy promotion and public information campaigns is to be cut by half, while overseas travel budgets face reductions of up to 70 percent.
For overseas travel and training expenses, budgets mandated by law, as well as those of Academia Sinica and the National Audit Office, are exempt from cuts.
The National Development Council, National Communications Commission (NCC), Overseas Community Affairs Council, Mainland Affairs Council and Control Yuan are to face 70 percent reductions.
Overseas travel budgets for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, National Security Council, Executive Yuan Office of Trade Negotiations, agencies under the Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan Transportation Safety Board, National Police Agency (NPA), National Fire Agency, Ministry of Sports, National Immigration Agency (NIA), Coast Guard Administration, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration and Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau are to be cut by 10 percent.
The NCC and Control Yuan are to see their China travel budgets eliminated entirely, while Academia Sinica, the NSTC, NPA and NIA are to face 15 percent cuts.
All other agencies are subject to 30 percent reductions.
Domestic travel budgets are to be cut by 15 percent across the board, except for branch courts of the High Court, Academia Sinica and the National Audit Office.
The proposed general budget cuts jointly endorsed by the caucuses of all three major parties are to exclude NT$71.8 billion allocated to 38 newly proposed projects backed by the opposition parties, as well as an additional NT$120 billion earmarked to bolster the Labor Insurance Fund.
The legislature had previously approved the early release of funds for designated new capital expenditure and projects, citing their “urgency and significant impact on public livelihood.”
Additional reporting by Fang Wei-li
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