TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Monday visited party caucuses at the Legislative Yuan to promote the Cabinet’s NT$410 billion (US$12.6 billion) special budget proposal aimed at boosting Taiwan’s economy and resilience.
Cho said the proposal focuses on supporting domestic industries, stabilizing the job market, reducing the cost of living, and strengthening national security, per CNA. However, opposition parties have criticized the NT$100 billion grant to Taipower.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷) said the government has already allocated NT$300 billion to Taipower in recent years, per CNA. He also questioned whether the NT$93 billion earmarked to offset the economic fallout from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs would be sufficient. He requested that the Cabinet provide a formal impact assessment report.
TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) accused the government of attempting to push through spending items previously removed from the 2025 budget, per RTI.
Kuomintang (KMT) caucus convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) echoed Chang’s criticism, noting that the NT$93 billion to address the tariff impact represents 23% of the proposal, per RTI. He also pointed to a NT$1.87 trillion tax surplus accumulated over the past four years, saying it provided room for tax rebates instead of additional Taipower grants.
In defense of the Taipower allocation, Cho argued that businesses require stable electricity prices, which depend on a financially stable power provider, per Anue. He described the grant as part of broader efforts to control living costs.
Responding to TPP’s call for an impact report, a Cabinet spokesperson said on Tuesday that the Cabinet had submitted related measures to the legislature on April 4. Cho formally briefed the legislature on April 11, per RTI.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) voiced strong support for the proposal after Cho’s briefing Monday morning, per Liberty Times.
The Cabinet plans to allocate NT$93 billion for industrial support and job stabilization, including equipment renewal subsidies and improvements to export logistics such as cold chain facilities. Another NT$150 billion would go toward national security enhancements, including new storage depots and naval vessels.
To combat cost-of-living challenges, the proposal allocates NT$167 billion, NT$100 billion of which is reserved for Taipower.
