TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan rejected a draft amendment proposed by the Cabinet to regulate revenue allocation for the central and local governments.
In a vote of 59 to 50, the KMT and TPP rejected the Cabinet’s proposal to balance regional development by allocating more government funding to less populated regions. Friday’s vote marks the eighth time that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and the Cabinet have asked the legislature to reconsider controversial legislation and been rejected, reported UDN.
The Cabinet protested amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures that were passed by the Legislative Yuan. A raft of amendments passed in March, and new proposed amendments passed in November threaten to derail funding schemes for the central government.
After new amendments passed the third reading on Nov. 14, the Cabinet, led by Cho requested the Legislative Yuan to reconsider and offered the counter proposal on Nov. 27. The TPP and KMT lawmakers have criticized the government’s efforts to challenge the Legislative Yuan, claiming that the Lai administration wants to cut critical subsidies to many of Taiwan’s largest municipalities, per UDN.
DPP lawmakers have criticized the opposition for flouting basic parliamentary decorum and haphazardly advancing legislation without proper oversight or discussion. The DPP caucus director Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) slammed the opposition lawmakers as “shameful.”
Following the vote on Friday, reporters asked the premier about the legislative yuan’s refusal to entertain the Cabinet’s request. Cho responded that the Cabinet will not bow to pressure from the Legislative Yuan to promulgate laws that violate legislative norms and ethics.
Earlier this week, opposition lawmakers also blocked the Lai government’s proposal to drastically increase defense spending. DPP lawmakers have decried the move as “unconstitutional.”
In previous legislative disputes with the opposition, the Cabinet has filed for judicial review with the Constitutional Court. However, the court is currently unable to reach quorum because the Legislative Yuan has refused to seat nominees advanced by the Lai administration.
