TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) criticized opposition lawmakers on Tuesday over the 2025 budget cuts, which totaled NT$207 billion, the largest reduction in Taiwan’s history.
Speaking at the Cabinet, Cho said the cuts, excluding mandatory spending and general grants, could account for up to 16% of the total budget, per CNA.
Cho warned the cuts proposed by the TPP and KMT would severely impact government discretionary spending. He also said the central government’s discretionary budget is approximately NT$1.3 trillion, and the proposed reductions would disproportionately affect certain departments and programs.
In response to comments from TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷), who claimed on Monday the opposition wanted to cut NT$210 billion (US$6.4 billion) from the budget, Cho emphasized that the central government’s budget includes new policies for infrastructure and defense procurement, totaling roughly NT$280 billion. He explained that excluding these additions would make the 2025 budget similar to the previous year.
Chang noted that while the NT$210 billion reduction was the largest in recent history, a significant portion — NT$100 billion — was tied to cuts to Taipower, per CNA. Chang emphasized that the opposition’s decision was driven by Taipower’s resistance to nuclear energy and the rising cost of renewable energy.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) argued the 2025 budget would exceed the 2023 budget despite the cuts. She also criticized the DPP for not offering its own proposals for budget reductions.
The final budget approved by the Legislative Yuan totaled NT$3.1 trillion, a NT$207 billion reduction from the government’s original proposal, per CNA.
DPP spokespeople, including Wu Cheng (吳崢), Tai Wei-shan (戴瑋姍), and Han Ying (韓瑩), strongly criticized the opposition’s proposed cuts, per CNA. They argued the opposition had not conducted a rational review of the budget, which could have serious consequences for Taiwan in the coming year.
Wu claimed that proposed cuts and freezes would total nearly NT$350 billion, or about 34% of the discretionary budget, which he estimated to be NT$1 trillion. Han pointed out that proposed cuts to the MOFA budget came after the ministry secured Taiwan’s participation in US President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Meanwhile, Tai accused the opposition of attempting to block recall elections by freezing the Central Election Commission’s budget.