Taiwan’s 2025 central government budget bill has successfully passed the committee stage after nearly two months of political back-and-forth. Cabinet Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) held a meeting with lawmakers on Thursday, ending with an agreement on the budget.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) called for inter-party negotiations on Friday where the motion was adopted with no objections raised. It will now be sent to various legislative committees for further review.
The plan outlines that social welfare will remain the largest portion of the government's budget in 2025, with education, technology, and culture following closely behind.
The budget also includes several key items, such as NT$60,000 (approximately US$1800) per hectare annually for forest preservation compensation, which will be addressed through a supplementary budget. Also, the National Health Insurance reimbursement rate is set to meet the target by June 2025, and a public grain procurement price plan is expected by the end of this year.
However, several issues still need to be solved including key appointments for positions in the Examination Yuan, Constitutional Court, and National Communications Commission. The budgets for state-owned enterprises and Taiwan Power Company are also still under discussion. These matters will be revisited next Tuesday.