• By Lery Hiciano / Editor, with CNA

The Interior Ministry said today it would carefully evaluate various proposals on how to legislate on the scheduling of public holidays, following criticism in recent years over the government’s national holiday calendar.

Lawmakers from several political parties have proposed legislation to codify regulations on holidays and festivals.

Photo: ANC

The Internal Administration Committee of the Legislative Yuan held a hearing today, during which Vice Minister of the Interior Wu Tang-an (吳堂安) said the ministry will carefully evaluate lawmakers’ proposals to achieve to a consensus.

Leave regulations, which have a huge impact on the daily lives of citizens, government agencies and businesses, are currently being issued by the government, leading several lawmakers to propose that they be elevated to formal law .

The ministry invited academics, civil society groups and other stakeholders to share their views and try to reach consensus.

There are currently seven proposals in the Legislative Yuan, all of which have passed their first reading and are now awaiting further consideration.

There are currently 11 public holidays, but various proposals suggest increasing this number to between 12 and 18 days.

Also counting weekends, that would mean nearly a third of the schedule would be days off, which requires careful consideration, Wu said.

Due to the need for a comprehensive assessment and solution, different groups and lawmakers have submitted different proposals, but the purpose of the public hearing is to collect comments and reach consensus, Wu said before the audience.

Public holiday regulations affect how citizens access government services, commercial and industrial operations and production, transportation links, stock market behavior and public leisure activities, he said.

There have been three attempts to codify the regulations in the past 25 years, but so far none have been successful, he added.

In a report, the Financial Supervisory Commission said that if Taiwan’s banking sector enjoys more days off than other international stock markets, it could struggle to attract funds, reflect economic trends and reduce losses. overall transaction volumes.