President Lai Ching-te delivered a recorded address Dec. 15 following a discussion on national policy with government branch leaders, vowing to maintain fiscal discipline and defend the constitutional order.
Lai said the heads of the Executive Yuan, Legislative Yuan and Examination Yuan were invited to the Presidential Office to talk about the central government’s deliberations on next year’s general budget, amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures, and pension bills.
The president then detailed the risks of a series of pending amendments which could cause fiscal imbalance, lead to the stagnation of major national policies, accelerate bankruptcy of the pension system and even violate constitutional principles.
The government has maintained fiscal discipline over the past nine years, Lai said, adding that since 2017 it has had a budgetary surplus for eight consecutive years. Its aims to lay a solid foundation for the next generation have taken the form of additional transportation infrastructure, the implementation of national child care for children from birth to age 6, and the provision of full tuition waivers for senior high school and vocational high school students.
Lai announced that he supports Premier Cho Jung-tai’s decision not to countersign the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures in accordance with the authority granted by Article 37 of the Constitution, as the act could force the central government to borrow up to NT$563.8 billion (US$17.8 billion) next year. This would violate the ceiling stipulated in the Public Debt Act.
The president expressed willingness to deliver a state of the nation address to the Legislative Yuan, as provided for in Article 4, Paragraph 3 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution. (YCH-E)
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