Legislative speaker declines president's invitation to discuss fiscal challenges

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Friday declined an invitation from President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to attend a meeting on a series of opposition-backed legal amendments that could leave the central government facing funding shortfalls.

Lai invited Han, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), and Examination Yuan President Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲) to the Presidential Office to discuss how to respond to challenges posed by the recent amendments, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement on Friday.

One of the amendments would require the central government to allocate additional revenue to local governments. Another would partially reverse pension cuts for civil servants and halt planned reductions through 2029, effectively rolling back much of the pension reform introduced in 2018 by the former Democratic Progressive Party administration.

According to Kuo, the amendments could have a significant impact on the country's fiscal sustainability.

However, Kuo said Han, a member of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), declined the invitation earlier Friday. The Presidential Office labeled the decision as "surprising," noting that Han had previously suggested holding such a meeting.

Kuo added that the office will seek to clarify Han's reasons for declining and expressed hope that he would reconsider.

Han declined to comment when approached by reporters while attending a Christmas event at the Legislature earlier Friday.

The Cabinet has previously said the revenue allocation amendment "cannot be implemented," arguing that it would require the central government to increase borrowing for the 2026 general budget by NT$264.6 billion (US$8.47 billion), exceeding the statutory debt ceiling.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Service under the Examination Yuan has warned that restoring income replacement ratios to their 2023 levels would cause pension funds for civil servants and public school teachers to be depleted by 2045 and 2042, respectively, three and four years earlier than previously projected.

Once government-co-funded pension reserves are exhausted, taxpayers would need to cover the shortfall, the ministry said.