ID :
19571
Mon, 09/15/2008 - 14:21
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/19571
The shortlink copeid
Ruling party vows to settle energy aid bill
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ruling party is rolling up its sleeves to settle a government-proposed package of extra budget plans after its first attempt failed last week amid intense objections from opposition lawmakers.
The government has asked the National Assembly to approve 4.9 trillion won (US$4.7 billion) in supplementary budget funding to assist low-income households hit by soaring oil prices.
The government claims the package is necessary to prevent state-owned energy
firms from jacking up utility prices in the face of skyrocketing fuel costs,
which will heavily burden consumers on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic
ladder.
The vote failed to meet the quorum and was declared invalid last week as
opposition legislators boycotted the session after tedious partisan bickering.
While the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) wants the budget to be endorsed as
originally proposed, opposition parties demand a cut by up to 2 trillion won,
arguing the losses of public firms should not be passed on to the taxpayers.
The GNP's floor leader expressed his intention to step down, taking the blame for
the failure to pass the motion despite his party's overwhelming plurality with
172 seats in the 299-member parliament. More than 40 ruling party legislators
were absent from the vote.
"Settling the supplementary budget is our utmost priority," the ruling
party's chief policymaker Yim Tae-hee told the press Monday. "We will have
the bill settled with or without the opposition's cooperation. No more
concessions will be made."
The governing party last week agreed to cut about 600 billion won from the
original plan, to which a minority opposition party showed approval.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was unmoved, however, claiming that
offering direct subsidies to state-run corporations would set a bad precedent.
Under the original government proposal, some 1.26 trillion won will be used to
fill the deficits at Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Gas Corp. -- to
compensate for losses after electricity and gas rates were frozen -- while 83.7
billion will be spent on energy subsidies for low-income people.
The main opposition demanded Monday that the parties go back to the drawing board
with the bill, warning of another collective action to boycott all parliamentary
sessions.
"The ruling party must be prepared for all consequences should it attempt to
settle the motion unilaterally," DP leader Chung Sye-kyun said.
The parliament was bogged down for nearly three months amid a political uproar
over U.S. beef imports before its regular session finally began on Sept. 1.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ruling party is rolling up its sleeves to settle a government-proposed package of extra budget plans after its first attempt failed last week amid intense objections from opposition lawmakers.
The government has asked the National Assembly to approve 4.9 trillion won (US$4.7 billion) in supplementary budget funding to assist low-income households hit by soaring oil prices.
The government claims the package is necessary to prevent state-owned energy
firms from jacking up utility prices in the face of skyrocketing fuel costs,
which will heavily burden consumers on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic
ladder.
The vote failed to meet the quorum and was declared invalid last week as
opposition legislators boycotted the session after tedious partisan bickering.
While the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) wants the budget to be endorsed as
originally proposed, opposition parties demand a cut by up to 2 trillion won,
arguing the losses of public firms should not be passed on to the taxpayers.
The GNP's floor leader expressed his intention to step down, taking the blame for
the failure to pass the motion despite his party's overwhelming plurality with
172 seats in the 299-member parliament. More than 40 ruling party legislators
were absent from the vote.
"Settling the supplementary budget is our utmost priority," the ruling
party's chief policymaker Yim Tae-hee told the press Monday. "We will have
the bill settled with or without the opposition's cooperation. No more
concessions will be made."
The governing party last week agreed to cut about 600 billion won from the
original plan, to which a minority opposition party showed approval.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was unmoved, however, claiming that
offering direct subsidies to state-run corporations would set a bad precedent.
Under the original government proposal, some 1.26 trillion won will be used to
fill the deficits at Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Gas Corp. -- to
compensate for losses after electricity and gas rates were frozen -- while 83.7
billion will be spent on energy subsidies for low-income people.
The main opposition demanded Monday that the parties go back to the drawing board
with the bill, warning of another collective action to boycott all parliamentary
sessions.
"The ruling party must be prepared for all consequences should it attempt to
settle the motion unilaterally," DP leader Chung Sye-kyun said.
The parliament was bogged down for nearly three months amid a political uproar
over U.S. beef imports before its regular session finally began on Sept. 1.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
