News
LY budget talks break down again
Lawmakers remain deadlocked over the government's general budget for next year after another round of cross-party caucus negotiations broke down with no agreements being made. Legislative review of the NT$3.13 trillion general budget proposal presented by the cabinet has now been in limbo for weeks.
The main issue is the opposition caucuses' rejection of the cabinet's compensation plan for the logging ban, on grounds that there were deficiencies in the proposal. The cabinet has budgeted NT$40,000 per hectare for landowners or users affected by the ban. However, that figure is below the NT$60,000 required under the amendments to the Logging Ban Compensation for Lands Reserved for Indigenous Peoples Act. That act was passed in June.
The DPP is arguing that the general budget review should not hinge on the logging ban compensation plan while lawmakers from the KMT and the Taiwan's People Party are accusing the D-P-P of acting in bad faith - saying lawmakers from the ruling party initially put forward the amendment bill to raise the compensation from NT$30,000 to NT$60,000 per hectare.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu has said a next round of cross-party caucus talks will now take place on Thursday.
