DEFENSE PORTION: The defense budget would account for 3.01% of the projected GDP for this year, and includes funding for drones, missiles and the coast guardStaff writer, with CNA請繼續往下閱讀...The Cabinet yesterday approved the central government’s budget proposal for next year, which would allocate NT$1.1225 trillion （US$35.16 billion） for defense, or 3.01 percent of projected GDP.President William Lai （賴清德） has set a goal of keeping Taiwan’s defense budget above 3 percent of GDP while gradually increasing the share to 5 percent by 2030.The defense spending plan — an 18 percent increase from this year — includes NT$691.9 billion in the Ministry of National Defense budget, NT$218.2 billion in special budgets and NT$60.7 billion in nonprofit special funds, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics （DGBAS） said.Comptroller Bureau head Hsieh Chi-hsien （謝其賢） said the ministry’s plans include supplementary spending on drones and missiles, for which the government had previously been unable to obtain legislative approval.The defense budget also includes NT$103.8 billion for military pensions and NT$47.9 billion for the Coast Guard Administration, the DGBAS said, adding that the calculation mirrors the method used by NATO, on which Lai has modeled Taiwan’s defense budget planning.The overall defense budget would account for 3.01 percent of GDP, based on DGBAS’ forecast this month that GDP would be NT$37.3 trillion.The figure represents a decline as a share of GDP from this year’s defense budget, which accounts for 3.32 percent of GDP.The proposed budget totals NT$3.9266 trillion, up NT$891.6 billion, or 29.4 percent, from NT$3.035 trillion for this year, the DGBAS said.The government estimates that revenue next year would be NT$3.9266 trillion, an increase of NT$1.0643 trillion, or 37.2 percent, from NT$2.8623 trillion this year.At NT$1.1889 trillion, social welfare spending would rise 41.1 percent from this year, the DGBAS said.The government plans to allocate NT$373 billion for population-related policies, including NT$329.5 billion for its family support program, which includes monthly cash handouts of NT$5,000 for children up to age 18.As for technology, NT$229.2 billion has been earmarked for technological development programs, including NT$40.8 billion for artificial intelligence-related programs.The budget also includes NT$235.7 billion for NT$10,000 cash handouts for all Taiwanese, and NT$39.2 billion for salary increases for military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers.Funds to support small and medium-sized enterprises would rise from NT$14.8 billion last year to NT$22.2 billion.The proposed budget would be balanced between revenue and expenditure, with NT$179 billion in borrowing needed to finance debt repayments.The DGBAS projected that outstanding debt at the end of next year would be NT$6.8831 trillion, equivalent to 23.4 percent of the average nominal GDP of the preceding three years and below the 40.6 percent ceiling for debt with a maturity of one year or longer.The Cabinet is expected to submit the budget to the Legislative Yuan for review by the end of this month.The opposition-dominated legislature only passed this year’s budget late on Friday last week after months of delays.Additional reporting by Hollie Younger and Reuters新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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