Executive Yuan responds to legislators’ proposal to freeze Zhuo Rongtai’s salary: It will be handled prudently in accordance with the law

Kuomintang legislator Weng Xiaoling proposed freezing the salary of Executive Director Zhuo Rongtai from September to December. President Lai Qingde announced this year's central government's general budget on the 18th and issued instructions in the announcement that the constitution guarantees the right to work in public service, personnel expenses are statutory funds, and the Legislative Yuan should not delete or freeze them. Has Zhuo Kui’s salary been recorded? Executive Yuan spokesperson Lee Huizhi said at a press conference after the meeting today (24th) that the matter will be handled prudently.

The general budget bill for 2015 was delayed for 351 days by blue and white legislators in the Legislative Yuan. It was not passed until the third reading on August 14. Weng Xiaoling even proposed freezing Zhuo Kui’s salary from September to December and completely deleting the 2.629 million yuan in compensation for government personnel of the Party Property Council. Lin Fengzheng, chairman of the Party and Property Council, confirmed on the 20th that President Lai included two comments in the general budget announcement, and the Accounting and Accounting Office of the Executive Yuan also gave the "green light."

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Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Has Zhuo Kui’s salary for September been recorded? Li Huizhi said that in accordance with Article 54 of the Constitution and Article 10, Paragraph 1, of the Executive Yuan Organic Act, the statutory duties of the Executive Yuan are dually guaranteed by the Constitution’s public office rights and work rights, and government personnel stipulated in other laws and regulations also have legal protection.

Li Huizhi said that the salaries of the Executive Yuan and related government personnel are based on the "National Salary and Expenditure Points for Military, Civil and Educational Personnel", which is the statutory funds stipulated in the "Budget Law". The Legislative Yuan's use of resolutions to freeze the cabinet minister's salary is tantamount to affecting the cabinet's exercise of administrative powers through the review of the annual budget. This violates Interpretation No. 601, exceeds the authority of the Legislative Yuan, violates the principle of separation of powers, and violates the proviso to Article 51, Paragraph 1, of the Budget Law.

Li Huizhi explained that the proviso to Article 51, Paragraph 1 of the Budget Law, stipulates that additional conditions or deadlines for statutory budgets shall be subject to those provisions, except where such conditions or deadlines are not permitted by law. The Executive Yuan will administer in accordance with the law and, in accordance with the President's instructions, ask the Accounting and Accounting Office for discussion. The Legislative Yuan will handle the follow-up actions of illegally and unconstitutionally deleting or freezing the salaries of government personnel with caution.