President Lai Ching-te said culture-related budgets would total about NT$65.9 billion, with cultural infrastructure, support for creators and promotion of the film and publishing industries cited as major items.

Separately, the fight over budget review continues. Premier Cho Jung-tai described cuts and freezes to the budget as a 'killer of culture,' criticizing the legislature's actions.

The opposition pushed back, saying appeals to emotion are the true tragedy of cultural policy and that budget review is a legitimate exercise of legislative authority that examines the merits of each line item.

The dispute is less about the total than about allocation: how funds are distributed across agencies, what criteria govern grant reviews and whether the split between regions is balanced.

Cultural spending is hard to measure by nature. Much of it cannot be converted into audience numbers or revenue, which is why arguments over efficiency recur.

For practitioners, uncertainty over timing is the heaviest burden. Performances and exhibitions are prepared months in advance, so delays in confirming budgets can shrink the plans themselves.