Taipei: Premier Cho Jung-tai announced his intention to direct all Cabinet ministries to comply with the Legislature’s request to submit proposals for unfreezing portions of their respective budgets for the year 2025. Speaking ahead of a Legislative hearing, Cho emphasized the importance of the Legislative Yuan unfreezing all budgets promptly to ensure the Executive Yuan’s seamless operation.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Legislature has frozen a total of 1,584 budgetary items, estimated at NT$138.1 billion (US$4.25 billion). Initially, the Cabinet proposed a government spending plan amounting to NT$3.1 trillion. However, opposition lawmakers reduced the budget by approximately NT$207 billion and froze an additional NT$138.1 billion, awaiting action from government agencies.
Cho addressed concerns as legislators questioned why several ministries had yet to present their proposals to the Legislative Yuan. He explained that the delay was attributed to varying circumstances faced by each ministry, including the fact that many had not yet fulfilled the requirements necessary to unfreeze budget funds.
The premier outlined that budget freezes fall into three categories. The largest category includes 1,162 items worth NT$15.4 billion, which can be quickly unlocked upon proposal submission. The second category involves 373 items totaling NT$36.6 billion, which require a special report and legislative review before funds can be released. The third category consists of 49 items valued at NT$86.1 billion, each requiring different procedures for unfreezing.
