TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) launched sharp criticism Thursday (Sept. 11) against opposition parties for creating what it called a fundamentally flawed amendment to the Fiscal Allocation Act (財劃法). Party spokesperson Han Ying (韓瑩) specifically targeted the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 台灣民眾黨) for their role in passing the controversial legislation that governs revenue distribution between central and local governments.
Han highlighted damaging admissions from within the KMT ranks, noting that party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) acknowledged contradictions in the new legislation that governs fiscal relationships between Taiwan's central and local governments. KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) allegdly admitted the Act's flaws, while fellow party member Jonathan Lin (林沛祥) characterized the version as extreme and unreasonable. These internal criticisms, Han argued, demonstrate that responsibility for the problematic legislation rests squarely with KMT and TPP lawmakers.
She accused the KMT of exploiting its legislative majority to force through the flawed amendment last year while deliberately ignoring warnings from the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's cabinet. Han emphasized that the DPP bears no responsibility for the current fiscal crisis and stressed that Premier Cho's upcoming nationwide meeting represents a genuine effort to resolve the contentious issue. The spokesperson's remarks underscored the deepening political divide over fiscal governance between Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties, highlighting ongoing tensions in the island's democratic system.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) will convene a critical meeting with mayors nationwide on Saturday (Sept. 13) to discuss practical solutions to the fiscal allocation crisis. The Executive Yuan, Taiwan's cabinet, has scheduled two comprehensive discussions with local governments to address the legislative problems. Cho urged local officials to maintain open dialogue and collaborate constructively with the central government to rectify the controversial amendments, emphasizing that meaningful resolution requires cooperative engagement rather than political posturing. ◼
