TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Legislators in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (立法院) approved the 2025 central government budget on Tuesday (Jan. 21), reducing expenditures to NT$2.9248 trillion after cutting NT$207.5 billion, the highest reduction on record. This decision followed a marathon session that began on Jan. 20 and lasted 20 hours, concluding in the early hours of Jan. 21.
The Executive Yuan (行政院) initially passed the budget proposal prepared by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (主計總處) in August 2024 and submitted it for legislative review. Legislators from the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾民眾黨) collaborated to pass several proposals, including a 10% cut in water and electricity expenses and a 60% reduction in special expenses for the Executive Yuan, Mainland Affairs Council (大陸委員會), Council of Indigenous Peoples (原住民族委員會), and more.
Military expenses saw a 3% reduction, with the Ministry of National Defense (國防部) and Coast Guard Administration (海巡署) adjusting their budget categories. Additionally, media policy and advocacy expenses faced a 60% cut unless the total reduction reached NT$93.975 billion. The KMT and TPP ordered that each government agency's advocacy expenses from a single media outlet should not exceed 5% of the budget for that item.
The legislature froze 50% of NT$2 billion allocated for the Navy Command Headquarters' (海軍司令部) third phase of the indigenous submarine project, pending successful sea trials of the SS-711 submarine (海鯤號). The Ministry of Economic Affairs (經濟部) NT$100 billion allocation for Taiwan Power Company (台電) was entirely cut. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (外交部) business expenses and the Ministry of Digital Affairs (數發部) budget saw significant reductions.
