KMT to prioritize 13 bills during new legislative session

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) The Kuomintang (KMT) on Monday talked about 13 key bills it hopes to pass during the new legislative session set to start the following day.

At a symposium held on to discuss its upcoming legislative agenda, Taiwan's main opposition party said it will add new days off for "memorial days or holidays of special significance," but did not specify how many days.

The party also proposes to amend the Housing Act to stipulate that 50 percent of social housing should be rented out to economically or socially disadvantaged persons.

Moreover, it will relax the rules to allow disadvantaged households with one juvenile dependent (rather than the current requirement of two or more juvenile dependents) to apply for social housing, according to the KMT.

Meanwhile, the KMT will enact legislation to share surplus tax revenues with residents, which it said could result in Taiwan residents receiving a one-time payment of NT$10,000 (US$305).

The KMT further said it would introduce a draft amendment to the Budget Act to stipulate that once the net amount of the government's collected tax revenue reaches 120 percent of the budgeted amount, the government should pay a universal tax rebate.

Amendments to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act and other legislation to extend the use of Taiwan's nuclear power plants will also be pushed for, the KMT said.

It will also revise the Climate Change Response Act and the Basic Environment Act to formally change Taiwan's energy policy from a "nuclear-free homeland" to a "zero-carbon homeland."

The KMT will also draft a long-term care insurance bill and amend legislation to ensure delivery workers are protected, and introduce a bill governing how school lunches are served.

It will also seek to amend laws to increase penalties for fraud and revise the AI Basic Act.

Moreover, it will also push for amendments to the Sports Industry Development Act to allow income generated by ticket sales to sports competitions or activities organized by sports organizations that meet legal requirements to be exempt from business taxes.

In addition, the party will establish a legal basis for asking digital platforms to pay media outlets for the news they use, the KMT said.

KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) told reporters at the symposium that all of the key bills the party put forward are related to people's livelihoods or the "artificial intelligence war" and "trade war."