Focus Taiwn
Date: 2019/01/10
By: Fan Cheng-hsiang and Christie Chen

CNA file photo

Taipei, Jan. 10 (CNA) Taiwan’s Legislature on Thursday passed the central government’s general budget proposal for fiscal year 2019, after cutting it by 1.19 percent to NT$1.998 trillion (US$64.88 billion).

During the extraordinary session that began Jan. 2, ruling and opposition lawmakers put forward 2,157 proposals for budget cuts but the number was reduced to 202 during cross-caucus negotiations chaired by Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) Jan. 7-9.

Lawmakers finally settled on a budget of NT$1.998 trillion, cutting 1.19 percent from the government’s estimate of NT$2.022 trillion.

The opposition Kuomintang’s (KMT’s) proposals to cut or freeze budgets for government agencies such as the Central Election Commission, Ill-Gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee and Transitional Justice Commission did not get enough votes to pass.
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