Taipei: Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers on Tuesday passed an amendment raising volunteer soldiers' monthly allowance to NT$30,000 (US$1,002), an increase of over NT$15,000, along with other benefits, a move the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said was aimed at helping KMT legislators facing possible recalls.
According to Focus Taiwan, the monthly allowance will be granted to all volunteer military personnel, regardless of rank, effective Jan. 1, 2026, under the amendment to Article 5 of the Armed Forces Pay Act. The amendment was passed in a second round of voting, with 52 votes in favor and 50 against. Eight Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers were absent.
Currently, volunteer military personnel for ranks of majors and below receive a monthly allowance of NT$15,000 in addition to their salary, while lieutenant colonels and colonels receive NT$14,000, and generals receive NT$13,000. The amended article also introduced new types of designated allowances for volunteer military personnel, with specific amounts to be determined by the Executive Yuan. It required all allowances to be adjusted whenever the cumulative consumer price index (CPI) reaches 3 percent.
KMT Legislator Wang Hung- stated that the amendment was intended to address Taiwan's shortage of recruits. Wang cited Ministry of National Defense (MND) data showing a decline in the number of volunteer military personnel from over 164,000 in 2021 to more than 152,000 in 2024, leading to a significant shortfall in troop strength. "This highlights problems within the national defense system," she added. The KMT did not provide a budget estimate for the amendment.
According to Wu Szu-yao, a caucus whip of the ruling DPP, the amended Article 5 would require an annual budget of NT$38.6 billion. Wu accused the KMT of making efforts to prevent some of its members from being recalled. This amendment, along with recently enacted legislation granting additional national holidays and a proposal to distribute a NT$10,000 cash handout, serves to curry favor with voters and ensure the KMT's political survival, she said.
As of Tuesday, 31 KMT lawmakers could face recall elections. Civic groups, dissatisfied with the party's actions in the Legislature, including massive government budget cuts, launched recall campaigns and gathered enough signatures to initiate the cases.
The smaller opposition TPP abstained from voting on the KMT's version of the amendment, as it favored a tiered structure for monthly allowances in the volunteer force. The TPP, however, voted in favor of the KMT's amendment to Article 6 of the law, which ensures that the monthly salary of conscripted military personnel shall not be lower than the minimum basic wage.
Later on Tuesday, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee issued a statement saying the amendments passed by the Legislature violated Article 70 of the Constitution and other fiscal laws. The Executive Yuan will seek legal remedies to overturn the amendments, Lee said, without specifying what measures it planned to take. Lee stated that the amendments would increase the government budget by NT$29 billion a year, which contradicted the figure provided by Wu.