TAIPEI: The Cabinet is considering asking the Legislature to hold a revote on the recently adopted central government general budget plan for the fiscal year 2025, Premier Cho Jung-tai announced Thursday. This move aims to reverse the opposition-backed spending cuts that were incorporated into the budget.
According to Focus Taiwan, Premier Cho stated during a news conference in Taipei that the Cabinet is seeking "remedies" to overturn the NT$2.92 trillion (US$89.15 billion) budget plan passed by the Legislature on Tuesday. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) under the Executive Yuan reported that the revised plan includes NT$207.6 billion of cuts, representing an approximately 6.6 percent reduction from the Cabinet's original proposal.
Premier Cho emphasized the importance of requesting a legislative revote on bills deemed difficult to implement, citing Article 3 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution. He warned that the opposition's substantial spending cuts and budget freezes could "paralyze government operations" and cause significant harm to the nation. The premier has addressed this issue multiple times since the Legislature began voting on budget downsizing proposals on January 17.
The opposition's austerity measures include a NT$100 billion cut in aid for the state-owned Taiwan Power Co., which has faced substantial losses due to rising global oil prices and the government's reluctance to increase utility rates. Additionally, the DGBAS noted that the Legislature has frozen an estimated NT$160.7 billion in funding for various government agencies, including nearly NT$90 billion for the Ministry of National Defense and about NT$16 billion for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. These funds will remain inaccessible until the respective ministries complete specific tasks set by lawmakers.
The data from DGBAS indicated that the budget cuts and freezes, primarily driven by lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP), are notably high compared to the past decade. However, as of Thursday, the Legislature had not yet submitted the approved budget plan to the Executive Yuan. This postponement means that the Cabinet's next steps will likely take place after the Lunar New Year holiday, which runs from January 27 to February 2.
Under Article 3 of the Constitution's additional articles, the Cabinet can request the reconsideration of lawmakers within 10 days of receiving the Legislature's notification if it finds a statutory, budgetary, or treaty bill difficult to execute. If a revote is requested, it will be the third attempt by the Cabinet to overturn bills passed by the current Legislature. The previous two attempts were unsuccessful, as the KMT and TPP, which hold a legislative majority, upheld their jointly promoted bills.