TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) legislator clarified on Monday (Jan. 20) that legislators lack the authority to increase budgets, dismissing claims of proposing a meal allowance hike as slander. TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷) was criticized for suggesting adjustments to the Legislative Yuan's (立法院) meal budget, arguing that the current NT$100 is insufficient to purchase a McDonald's meal set.
The Legislative Yuan commenced voting on the 2025 central government budget with the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and TPP joining forces to slash various allocations. Chang, who chaired a budget audit meeting last Saturday, posted on Facebook about facing attacks from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP,民進黨) legislators and their supporters. He clarified that legislators can only freeze or cut budgets, not increase them.
Chang emphasized that the Legislative Yuan's meal provision serves legislators, staff, and civil servants. He urged the General Affairs Department (總務處) to adjust within the budget, considering market prices and diversifying meal options. During the meeting, he mentioned the McDonald's incident to highlight the need to address the reasonableness of the meal budget.
Chang noted the presence of DPP members during the meeting and invited immediate objections, if any. He expressed dissatisfaction, stating that his critics misunderstood Taiwan's cost of living and attacked him out of context. Chang reported feedback from staff about rising electricity and material costs, making sub-NT$100 meals challenging for vendors.
