government expenditures 結果共4筆

Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je criticized the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) governance in Taiwan, pointing out various shortcomings such as shortages of land, water, electricity, talent, and labor during Lai Ching-te’s tenure as premier. Ko also claimed that Taiwan is currently lacking eggs, pork, vaccines, health screening resources, and even toilet paper. He further highlighted present issues including low birthrates, national security risks from an aging population, wage stagnation, inflation, slow industrial transformation, and high housing costs. Ko accused the government of not allocating special budgets for expenditures, resulting in an alleged surplus of NT＄900 billion, and criticized their lack of transparency. He expressed disappointment with the DPP’s failure to address issues left by the Kuomintang (KMT) after eight years in power. Additionally, Ko mentioned that Taiwanese people generally feel insecure about the current status of the Taiwan Strait, which has caused societal discord, political factions, and cross-strait unrest.

Nearly 60% of Taiwanese people support increasing the national defense budget to 3% of GDP, according to a survey released by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR). The survey, conducted by the National Chengchi University Election Study Center, gathered 1,214 complete responses from November 12 to November 13. Around 9% of respondents believe the current defense budget is very insufficient, while 46% consider it to be insufficient, totaling approximately 55% who think the defense spending needs a boost. Additionally, nearly 60% of the full sample expressed approval for cutting other government expenditures to raise the defense budget, while around 41% would favor paying more taxes to achieve a defense budget constituting 3% of GDP.

The Taiwanese government plans to allocate at least NT$20 billion in 2024 to subsidize healthcare workers’ salaries, according to Premier Chen Chien-jen. The aim is to ensure that the health insurance system is not built on the sweat and tears of medical staff. Chen emphasized the need for healthcare workers to be respected, appreciated, and adequately compensated within the healthcare system. President Tsai Ing-wen, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan, and National Health Insurance Administration Director Shi Chong-liang have held discussions on enhancing medical personnel’s salaries through health insurance and public budget. The proposed funds will be budgeted from public expenditures, although the details are still being planned. The budget for fiscal year 2024 has been submitted to the Legislative Yuan, and if approved, the new subsidies will officially roll out the following year. The specific manner and target of the subsidies are still being formulated.

The labor minister of Taiwan, Hsu Ming-chun, has assured the public that the government-backed labor insurance will not face bankruptcy. Hsu emphasized that the government will continue to allocate supplementary funds to prevent this outcome. Concerns had arisen due to the growing imbalance between the number of pension recipients and payees, with predictions of bankruptcy by 2028. However, Hsu pointed out that the government has been providing supplementary pension funds for the past four years and assured that this plan will be maintained. She also stated that the government’s supplementary labor insurance provisions are considered part of administrative expenditures. While there are currently no provisions in place for additional government funds, Hsu suggested that it could be implemented if approved.