TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Opposition KMT and TPP lawmakers continued to demand spending cuts from the government’s proposed 2025 budget during cross-party negotiations on Tuesday.
In response, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) asked all ministries and agencies to defend projected budgets and justify spending requests. The Cabinet ratified the government’s 2025 budget proposal last August, with government spending reaching NT$3.13 trillion (US$95 billion), on projected revenue of NT$3.1534 trillion, with a forecasted surplus of NT$20.9 billion, per CNA.
Lin Szu-ming (林思銘), KMT legislative caucus secretary-general, said strict budgetary oversight is required, including all necessary budget cuts. Specifically, the KMT legislative caucus called for cuts to media and publicity expenses for ministries and commissions, which opposition lawmakers allege are manipulated for political purposes.
KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) took budget cuts one step further, seeking to freeze NT$1.8 billion allocated for the domestic submarine project until the project passes further testing.
As for the TPP, it called for similar budget reductions, advocating for a total spending reduction of NT$206 billion and freezing NT$97.4 billion in spending.
In response to calls for budget cuts, a Cabinet official, speaking anonymously, called for the legislature to review the budgets rationally and maintain healthy communication for the benefit of the country.
The Cabinet’s 2025 budget plan failed to pass in the last legislative session, leading to an extension of the session from the end of December to Jan. 21.