Revotes on budget plan, revenue allocation measures slated for March 12

Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Lawmakers will hold revotes next week to decide whether to uphold the central government's 2025 budget plan and measures raising funding allocations to local governments, which were both recently passed by the Legislature.

The revotes are scheduled for March 12, shortly after Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) explains to lawmakers on March 11-12 why the Cabinet has requested a reconsideration of the legislation, which passed with the backing of the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party.

The latest agenda was adopted on Friday's meeting on the legislative floor after inter-party negotiations called by KMT Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Wednesday to address the issue came to nothing.

The Cabinet requested the revotes on Feb. 27 in a bid to overturn the Legislature's passage of the government budget plan for the fiscal year 2025 and revisions to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures on Jan. 21 and Dec. 20, 2024, respectively.

As per Article 3-2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, the executive body may -- with the president's approval -- request a legislative revote on legislation lawmakers have passed, if it considers such a law "difficult to implement."

The Legislative Yuan is required to vote on whether to uphold the passage of the legislation within 15 days after receiving the Executive Yuan's request, or the legislation will be automatically annulled.

According to the law, more than half of all sitting lawmakers -- at least 57 votes in the current Legislature -- must support the legislation for it to be upheld.

The Cabinet has said that the NT$207.6 billion (US$6.32 billion) cuts ordered by the Legislature to the 2025 budget plan, for which the Cabinet had originally earmarked NT$3.1 trillion, "have affected the normal operations" of targeted government agencies.

Furthermore, the funding freezes by the Legislature, estimated at NT$183.1 billion, are nine times higher than the average amount over the past three years, it added.

The Cabinet also requested a legislative revote on the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures, arguing the measures gave local governments more funding without assigning them additional public spending responsibilities.

The amendments include measures requiring the central government to allocate 40 percent of the nation's total tax or other revenue while retaining the remaining 60 percent -- a change to the 25-75 percent ratio in place since 1999.