Taiwan's opposition-controlled legislature has used the annual budget to strip the salary of Premier Cho Jung-tai, a move the ruling party calls political punishment rather than oversight.

• The opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party, using their combined majority, froze the premier's pay from September through December.
• They also wiped out roughly NT$2.6 million in pay for political appointees at the party-assets committee, and targeted the special expense funds for the heads of the presidential office, cabinet, and defense ministry.
• The ruling DPP argues lawmakers can oppose policies but should not turn the budget into a tool for settling political scores.
• The premier and the party-assets committee are both legally mandated posts, so cutting the pay while the jobs and work continue looks like retaliation, not budgeting.
• The DPP warns this sets a precedent where any disliked minister could have their salary slashed next.

Outlook: Expect the fight to deepen the standoff between the opposition-led legislature and the DPP government, with more budget clashes likely ahead.