TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said the government will not sign or promulgate amendments to the government revenue allocation law passed by the legislature last month, citing concerns over fiscal stability and procedural flaws.
The decision by Lai and the Cabinet follows a vote Friday in which opposition lawmakers from the Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party rejected 59-50 a request to reconsider the amendments approved Nov. 14.
The amendments would increase the share of funds administered by local governments and halt pension cuts for civil servants. The central government has warned that freezing the cuts would rapidly deplete pension reserves and increase the burden on taxpayers.
Opposition lawmakers responded by threatening to block Lai’s proposed special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion). Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) also declined an invitation to a “National Affairs Tea Gathering,” per CNA.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (桌榮泰) said the executive branch has no obligation to implement the amendments, arguing the legislative review process contained procedural defects. He acknowledged that refusing to sign or implement the bill would be unprecedented but described the move as a response to what the government sees as the opposition’s repeated push for controversial legislation.
Lin Chia-ho (林佳和), an associate professor of law at National Chengchi University, said the Legislature must respect the executive branch’s constitutional role in budget preparation, noting lawmakers are permitted to cut budgets but not expand spending. In principle, he supports the Cabinet’s decision not to countersign the amendments, per Liberty Times.
Lin added that the premier’s power to refuse countersignature is constitutionally granted and legally sound, but warned the move could intensify political confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties or set a precedent for retaliation after a future change in government.
Such executive-legislative standoffs are not uncommon in other democracies, Lin said, reflecting checks and balances under the separation of powers. He said prolonged deadlock is typically resolved either through constitutional adjudication or through political mechanisms such as votes of no confidence and the possible dissolution of parliament.
