TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT think tank National Policy Foundation Deputy Director Ling Tao (凌濤) clarified Thursday that party Chair Eric Chu's (朱立倫) earlier remarks on a special budget bill did not indicate a retreat on the NT$100 billion (US$3.4 billion) Taipower grant.
UDN reported that following internal discussions between the KMT leadership and its legislative caucus, the party was prepared to drop opposition to the Taipower grant and the NT$150 billion earmarked for national security and societal resilience. In exchange, Chu proposed an additional NT$230 billion be allocated for a one-time NT$10,000 tax rebate per citizen, bringing the total package to NT$640 billion.
The report also suggested the KMT may seek a commitment from Taipower to freeze utility rates for three years if the grants are approved. Ling Tao pushed back on those claims, calling them an “over-interpretation” of internal discussions, per Tai Sounds.
The possibility of concessions sparked backlash among some KMT supporters, with critics accusing the party of capitulating to the DPP, per UP Media. KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said the final decision would be made during the party’s caucus meeting Friday morning.
KMT Culture and Communication Committee Director Lin Kuan-yu (林寬裕) said Chu intended to emphasize the importance of the rebate proposal and to defer the final call on the grant and national security budget to the legislative caucus, per ETtoday.
TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) responded by expressing confusion over the KMT's apparent shift but said he respected the decision. He also urged voters not to support the recall campaign targeting several KMT legislators, warning it could hand a legislative majority back to the DPP.
The DPP, meanwhile, voiced strong opposition to the rebate. DPP Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) accused the KMT of using the measure as a political tool to shield its lawmakers from recall efforts, per UDN. DPP Legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) questioned how the KMT planned to fund the rebates and criticized the idea of freezing utility rates, arguing that pricing decisions should be left to energy experts, per Tai Sounds.
Civil society group Taiwan Citizen Front will hold a rally outside the Legislative Yuan scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m., opposing the KMT's legislative agendas.
