tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post9019436386485875482..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Tainan County/City Merger ApprovedMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-76500967924613492572009-07-01T22:05:14.122+08:002009-07-01T22:05:14.122+08:00Minister of Finance Lee Sush- der (李述德) said the g...<i>Minister of Finance Lee Sush- der (李述德) said the government would revise the Law Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) to ensure that each county or city, regardless of its status, obtained a bigger budget than now.</i><br /><br />It seems they've finally figured out how democracy works!<br /><br />Or it could be a clever move toward independence. Go as deep in the budgetary hole as the U.S., and China may rethink their desire to annex and assume all that debt.Readinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-91773130265204981412009-07-01T06:41:19.247+08:002009-07-01T06:41:19.247+08:00In the absence of fair taxation income distributio...In the absence of fair taxation income distribution to the southern part of Taiwan, and for their regional interest protection, the financial officers of the southern counties should form an alliance to collect their own taxes and refuse to remit to the central government.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-73558547163161589272009-07-01T00:14:22.102+08:002009-07-01T00:14:22.102+08:00Your analysis lacks one key point. There were mer...Your analysis lacks one key point. There were mergers then upgrades to special municipalities but the upgrade didn't have to happen along with a merger. Thus, as a consequence Taipei County is the big winner in all of this. They get the upgrade in money without having to merge, ie share with anyone.<br /><br />Note: this is not true of Taichung, Tainan, or Kaohsiung, which are all merging a county and city, then upgrading. Thus, they will NOT be getting a big increase in payroll. It is a very modest increase. What is significant is that they have a higher upper limit for borrowing, which means they have a one time grant to spend on some larger projects. For the new municipality to be successful, they must take that money and set themselves apart from the other cities in Taiwan.<br /><br />This whole process is messed up in many ways, but Tainan was able to get the word out to the rest of Taiwan that they are an up and coming city with a lot that sets it apart (all the cool, old history but also industry too, such as green tech industries, creative industries). I think the heads of Tainan City and County just did a really excellent job of highlighting Tainan's strong points and made it very, very difficult for the central government to turn them down.<br /><br />On the more conspiratorial comments: Tainan County was split for the Greens and the theory was that they would be denied so the KMT could win Tainan County. A merged Tainan City/County favors the DPP (though the KMT is competitive still, not at all like the DPP in Taipei City or Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taidong). I would say the most Machiavellian part of all this was not any one election (Taipei County or Tainan or Taichung), but to keep the North (Taipei) rich by upgrading Taipei County without requiring any merger. The North retains its tax revenue dominance in a hard to see way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com