Taiwan's Government to Brief Legislature on US Tariff Response

Premier Cho Jung-tai to Address Lawmakers on NT$88 Billion Plan Amid US Trade Challenges

Taipei, April 7 – Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has committed to briefing Taiwan's Legislative Yuan on the details of a NT$88 billion (approximately US$2.65 billion) Cabinet proposal designed to aid Taiwanese businesses facing challenges due to sweeping tariffs announced by the United States. This development follows a call from the opposition, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), chair and legislative caucus whip of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), confirmed that Premier Cho agreed to provide a comprehensive overview of the plan. The briefing is intended to help lawmakers thoroughly assess the proposal's effectiveness and ability to mitigate the impact of the tariffs.

Earlier in the day, Huang had criticized the Cabinet's initial proposal for lacking sufficient detail, urging the administration to conduct a comprehensive impact evaluation of the US tariffs.

Chang Chi-kai (張啓楷), a TPP lawmaker and deputy caucus whip, stated that a negotiation round, convened by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), will take place on Tuesday afternoon. The goal is to finalize the timing of Premier Cho's briefing.

The TPP hopes the briefing can occur this week.

The KMT's caucus whip, Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), expressed his party's support for the briefing. Moreover, the KMT is advocating for a larger budget to address the economic fallout from the US tariffs.

Fu mentioned that the KMT aims to have the Cabinet brief lawmakers as soon as possible to inform the Taiwanese people about how specific business sectors will be affected by the US decision. The Trump administration announced that tariffs of 32% will be imposed on most Taiwanese goods imported into the U.S. starting April 9.

The KMT and TPP comments followed a two-hour-and-15-minute cross-party meeting, convened by Premier Cho in the Executive Yuan on Monday afternoon, to discuss the NT$88 billion proposal.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) requires the support of the KMT and TPP, as the opposition holds a majority in Taiwan's 113-seat Legislature.

According to Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), the DPP government intends to allocate NT$70 billion of the proposed budget to reduce loan interest rates, administrative costs, and expand tax exemptions for Taiwanese industries impacted by the tariffs. The remaining NT$18 billion will be directed towards supporting the agricultural sector through loans, interest subsidies, and equipment subsidies.