Will 1st-Class Military and Civil Servants Get a Raise? Minister Reveals 116th Year Budget Plan: 'This Unit' to Prioritize Expanding Allowances

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te recently revealed that the 2026 central government budget will reach 3.6 trillion NT dollars and declared a continued strengthening of national defense and protection of national security. Subsequently, the market reported that the defense budget has the potential to exceed the trillion-dollar mark for the first time. However, the Legislative Yuan had previously reviewed the military personnel compensation adjustment plan, which was not included in the total budget for this year, sparking a tug-of-war between the ruling and opposition parties and concerns among the grassroots. Defense Minister Kuo Li-hsiung, on the 5th, attended the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and made a concrete response for the first time regarding the progress of the national military compensation adjustment plan. During the review of the total budget, the Legislative Yuan had discussions on the amendments to the "Military Personnel Compensation Adjustment" and the "Police Personnel Act." After negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties, it was agreed that the Executive Yuan would submit a military and police compensation adjustment plan within half a year. Legislator Niu Xuting asked during the committee's questioning whether, with next year's total budget reaching 3.6 trillion, the budget for the voluntary service salary increase, which was passed by the Legislative Yuan last year, has been specifically allocated? When will the compensation for voluntary service be adjusted? The Ministry of National Defense disclosed the progress of the 116th fiscal year budget compilation. Kuo Li-hsiung pointed out that the overall compensation adjustment for military and civil servants has been uniformly explained by the Executive Yuan. As for the various professional and service allowances of the military, the Ministry of National Defense has been continuously reviewing them based on the intensity of the officers' tasks. Kuo Li-hsiung confirmed that the final stage of inventory and negotiation with the Executive Yuan's Personnel Administration is currently underway, and the relevant content has been almost finalized. Kuo Li-hsiung stated that, under the previous resolution framework, the administrative team will submit the review results within half a year, and the agreed-upon allowance items are expected to be included in the 116th fiscal year budget. Although the specific release time still needs to be decided by the Executive Yuan, according to the budget compilation schedule, it is expected that a detailed explanation will be provided to the public before the total budget is submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review by the end of August. Will the "Everyone Gets a Reward" leave after-effects? How are the salary increase targets and levels divided? Legislators mentioned in their questioning that the opposition party's stance of supporting the gradual increase of the defense budget remains unchanged, but they also emphasized that the development of national defense should not focus solely on the buying and selling of hardware. Improving the treatment of grassroots officers and enhancing overall morale have a positive effect on strengthening psychological warfare and mental resilience. In response, Kuo Li-hsiung explained that the core position of the Ministry of National Defense is to review and adjust various allowances based on the intensity of tasks. This planning will indeed expand the scope of recipients and applicable levels. For units with a low personnel-to-position ratio, adjustments will be made by increasing allowances. Kuo Li-hsiung particularly emphasized that the salary increase mechanism is not suitable for a "one-size-fits-all" approach, otherwise it may cause some degree of after-effects within the military system. Therefore, a more practical and precise review will be implemented to realize the improvement of treatment.