• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Defense takes lion's share of government budget for 2008

ROC Central News Agency

2007-08-30 23:49:59

    Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) Defense spending will take the lion's share of the government's budget for 2008, government officials said Thursday.

    The officials made the remarks after the Executive Yuan referred the 2008 draft budget bill to the Legislative Yuan earlier in the day for deliberation and approval.

    According to the Executive Yuan-proposed budget, military spending is projected at NT$341.1 billion, up NT$48.1 billion from this year's level. The amount accounts for 20.1 percent of the government's projected expenditure from the coming year, which also constitutes the largest share of the budget pie.

    Defense spending takes the second largest budget share for 2007, lagging behind expenditure for culture, education, science and technology. Due to increases in arms procurement funds, military spending will top the spending list next year, the officials said.

    According to the draft budget bill, the government's revenues are projected at NT$1.61 trillion, compared to the projected expenditures of NT$1.69 trillion. It will mark the first time in nine years that the government's budget gap will be narrowed below NT$100 billion, the officials added.

(By Sofia Wu)

enditem