• By Lery Hiciano / Editor, with CNA

The Finance Committee of the Legislative Yuan met for only three minutes early this morning to discuss the Law Governing the Allocation of Government Revenue and Expenditure (財政收支劃分法), as debates continue on the proposed amendments.

Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), head of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, led the lawmakers into the meeting room as soon as the doors opened at dawn, while fellow KMT lawmaker Chen Yu- jen (陳玉珍), acted as chairman of the committee for this session.

Chen has scheduled debates on October 7 and 21, as well as additional reviews on Monday, today and tomorrow to discuss the 22 proposals currently under consideration.

Photo: ANC

None of the projects have been submitted by the Executive Yuan.

The proposals aim to increase the proportion of taxes going to local governments rather than the central government, which could reduce its ability to control national finances and finance major projects linked to infrastructure, social welfare and defense.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) said the KMT had “occupied” the meeting.

The DPP’s position is that a law as important as the one in question requires consensus from counties and cities, as well as the central government, Lin said.

The DPP had many opportunities to speak in previous meetings, Chen said, adding that she wanted the session to proceed peacefully.

Dozens of KMT lawmakers gathered in the committee room shouting slogans, followed by Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers who arrived with signs calling for more equitable allocation of resources, leading the Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers to PDP to condemn the disruption of the debates.

Chen arrived at the committee at 5:40 a.m. and the meeting was scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

When she began, she read the proposed amendments and, after no consensus was reached, adjourned the meeting at 9:03 a.m.