Securities Transaction Tax to Fund Health Insurance? Auditor-General Opposes: Hopes to Maintain Consolidated Revenue and Expenditure
Regarding Executive Yuan Political Commissioner Chen Shih-chung's proposal to allocate part of the securities transaction tax to fund health insurance, Auditor-General Chen Ruey-min stated today that he hopes to maintain the consolidated revenue and expenditure of the securities transaction tax to uphold fiscal discipline. When asked by a legislator if he opposed Chen Shih-chung's proposal, Chen Ruey-min replied, 'You could say that.'
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 17:23
- 🔍 Collected: May 5, 2026 at 17:31 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 6, 2026 at 07:02 (13h 30m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 5) Executive Yuan Political Commissioner Chen Shih-chung proposed allocating part of the securities transaction tax to fund health insurance. Auditor-General Chen Ruey-min of the National Audit Office said today that he hopes to maintain the consolidated revenue and expenditure of the securities transaction tax to uphold fiscal discipline; when asked by a legislator whether he opposed Chen Shih-chung's proposal, Chen Ruey-min said, 'You could say that.'
Executive Yuan Political Commissioner Chen Shih-chung said earlier that Taiwan's National Health Insurance premium income mainly relies on salary income, and its finances are quite unsound. He considered that if a certain proportion of the current 3‰ securities transaction tax revenue, for example, 50%, were used for health insurance, it would have a chance to ensure the financial balance of health insurance for about the next 20 years.
The Legislative Yuan today invited Chen Ruey-min to attend, report on the audit process of the 2024 Central Government General Final Account Audit Report and other cases, and be consulted.
Kuomintang Legislator Lai Shyh-bao said that Chen Shih-chung proposed to use the securities transaction tax to fund health insurance, but some scholars believe this would violate the Fiscal Discipline Act. The securities transaction tax is to support important national construction and should be consolidated revenue and expenditure.
Chen Ruey-min said that the securities transaction tax is a consolidated revenue and expenditure tax, and 'he hopes to maintain the securities transaction tax as consolidated revenue and expenditure' to uphold fiscal discipline, as it is a very important tax revenue. Lai Shyh-bao followed up, 'Auditor-General Chen (Ruey-min) opposes Political Commissioner Chen (Shih-chung)'s proposal? You could say that?' Chen Ruey-min replied, 'You could say that.'
In addition, Legislator Lai Shyh-bao and Taiwan People's Party Legislator Hung Yu-hsiang both paid attention to the issue of restarting nuclear power. Hung Yu-hsiang said that according to media reports, Westinghouse, the original manufacturer of the Nuclear III plant reactor, will come to Taiwan in May for self-safety inspections and will discuss purchasing fuel rods. At that time, the Nuclear IV fuel assemblies were transported to the United States but no one bought them. Now, to restart Nuclear II and Nuclear III, they need to buy fuel rods again, which costs more than 8 billion New Taiwan Dollars back and forth. This is a loss caused by normal operating costs or policy errors.
Chen Ruey-min said that because Nuclear IV was politically decided to be mothballed, the fuel rods were worth more than 8 billion New Taiwan Dollars at that time. They were sent to the United States for storage and preparation for sale, but because no buyer could be found, they had to be dismantled into uranium raw materials. This part has been in the United States for many years, and storage costs have also spent nearly 400 million New Taiwan Dollars. This is a problem of the overall policy and also a problem of management.
Chen Ruey-min stated that Taipower should improve in this area. Now Nuclear III needs to buy fuel rods, but Nuclear IV's fuel rods are still in the United States. Society needs to understand whether this is a problem of the model or the unit.
Chen Ruey-min also said in response to Lai Shyh-bao that it will take another one or two years to restart Nuclear III, and it needs the approval of the Nuclear Safety Commission, so there is still a process to go through; Taipower has not yet prepared a budget, and the 2027 budget is still being prepared. He hopes for transparency, and Taipower should plan ahead, prepare the budget in advance, list it in the budget book, and follow the budget procedures. (Edited by: Lin Hsing-meng) 1150505
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(Central News Agency, Taipei, May 5) Executive Yuan Political Commissioner Chen Shih-chung proposed allocating part of the securities transaction tax to fund health insurance. Auditor-General Chen Ruey-min of the National Audit Office said today that he hopes to maintain the consolidated revenue and expenditure of the securities transaction tax to uphold fiscal discipline; when asked by a legislator whether he opposed Chen Shih-chung's proposal, Chen Ruey-min said, 'You could say that.'
Executive Yuan Political Commissioner Chen Shih-chung said earlier that Taiwan's National Health Insurance premium income mainly relies on salary income, and its finances are quite unsound. He considered that if a certain proportion of the current 3‰ securities transaction tax revenue, for example, 50%, were used for health insurance, it would have a chance to ensure the financial balance of health insurance for about the next 20 years.
The Legislative Yuan today invited Chen Ruey-min to attend, report on the audit process of the 2024 Central Government General Final Account Audit Report and other cases, and be consulted.
Kuomintang Legislator Lai Shyh-bao said that Chen Shih-chung proposed to use the securities transaction tax to fund health insurance, but some scholars believe this would violate the Fiscal Discipline Act. The securities transaction tax is to support important national construction and should be consolidated revenue and expenditure.
Chen Ruey-min said that the securities transaction tax is a consolidated revenue and expenditure tax, and 'he hopes to maintain the securities transaction tax as consolidated revenue and expenditure' to uphold fiscal discipline, as it is a very important tax revenue. Lai Shyh-bao followed up, 'Auditor-General Chen (Ruey-min) opposes Political Commissioner Chen (Shih-chung)'s proposal? You could say that?' Chen Ruey-min replied, 'You could say that.'
In addition, Legislator Lai Shyh-bao and Taiwan People's Party Legislator Hung Yu-hsiang both paid attention to the issue of restarting nuclear power. Hung Yu-hsiang said that according to media reports, Westinghouse, the original manufacturer of the Nuclear III plant reactor, will come to Taiwan in May for self-safety inspections and will discuss purchasing fuel rods. At that time, the Nuclear IV fuel assemblies were transported to the United States but no one bought them. Now, to restart Nuclear II and Nuclear III, they need to buy fuel rods again, which costs more than 8 billion New Taiwan Dollars back and forth. This is a loss caused by normal operating costs or policy errors.
Chen Ruey-min said that because Nuclear IV was politically decided to be mothballed, the fuel rods were worth more than 8 billion New Taiwan Dollars at that time. They were sent to the United States for storage and preparation for sale, but because no buyer could be found, they had to be dismantled into uranium raw materials. This part has been in the United States for many years, and storage costs have also spent nearly 400 million New Taiwan Dollars. This is a problem of the overall policy and also a problem of management.
Chen Ruey-min stated that Taipower should improve in this area. Now Nuclear III needs to buy fuel rods, but Nuclear IV's fuel rods are still in the United States. Society needs to understand whether this is a problem of the model or the unit.
Chen Ruey-min also said in response to Lai Shyh-bao that it will take another one or two years to restart Nuclear III, and it needs the approval of the Nuclear Safety Commission, so there is still a process to go through; Taipower has not yet prepared a budget, and the 2027 budget is still being prepared. He hopes for transparency, and Taipower should plan ahead, prepare the budget in advance, list it in the budget book, and follow the budget procedures. (Edited by: Lin Hsing-meng) 1150505
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.