New Taipei tax allocation fight: Su Chiao-hui and Chiang Yi-chen trade blame
A political spat has broken out in New Taipei over how much money the city gets from the central government, with the KMT camp putting the opposition on the defensive.
- New Taipei is set to receive about NT$107 billion more in central tax allocations next year — the biggest increase among Taiwan's six major cities.
- Su Chiao-hui, the DPP's likely mayoral contender, called the allocation system deeply unfair to New Taipei.
- Chiang Yi-chen, who runs Lee Szu-chuan's KMT campaign office, hit back by asking what Su did about it during her decade as a lawmaker.
- The KMT side notes that neither Su, her father Su Tseng-chang as premier, nor the DPP caucus ever put forward their own version of the fiscal allocation law.
- Lee Szu-chuan argues the central government is playing both sides: handing over more allocation money while cutting general and project subsidies.
Outlook: Expect the fight over New Taipei's funding to stay a central theme of the mayoral race, with pressure on Su to press the Lai administration over the subsidy cuts.