A Taiwanese man with eight “wives” and 32 children said last week he was over the moon at the prospect of collecting NT$147,600 (US$4,500) in consumer vouchers. This would make his family the largest beneficiary of the new scheme.
“It seems that my family will benefit the most from the program. I am very grateful, it will help us a lot,” a smiling Liu Ho-mu told local television.
Liu, a self-proclaimed “spiritual teacher,” has for more than 20 years lived with eight women who have borne him 32 children in central Chang-hua county.
PHOTO: AFP
He attracted attention four years ago when women’s rights groups urged prosecutors to look into his multiple relationships, as bigamy is a criminal offense in Taiwan punishable with a maximum five-year prison term.
But Liu has claimed that all his wedding ceremonies were presided over by “gods, ghosts and Buddha” and that he broke no law because he did not officially register any of the relationships as formal marriages.
His 41-member family is entitled to the money under a consumer vouchers scheme unveiled by the government last week in a bid to stimulate spending and boost the economy.
Under the scheme, the country’s 23 million people regardless of age or wealth will be given NT$3,600 Taiwan dollars. The program is expected to cost some NT$82 billion and contribute a 0.64 percent increase to the 2009 GDP, officials said.(AFP)
一名娶了八個老婆、育有三十二名子女的台灣男子上週表示，他非常高興自己有機會領到新台幣十四萬七千六百元（四千五百美元）的消費券。他們一家將是這項新計畫的最大受惠者。
劉和穆笑著對當地電視台記者說：「我們家應該是這個政策的最大受益者。我非常感激，這對我們幫助很大。」
住在中台灣彰化縣、自詡為「心靈導師」的劉先生和八個老婆同住一個屋簷下二十多年，共育有三十二名子女。
四年前，女權團體曾要求檢察官調查他一夫多妻的婚姻關係，因為台灣的刑法規定，重婚依法可處最高五年的有期徒刑。
但劉先生說，他都是在「神、鬼和佛」的見證下完婚的，因為他沒有正式登記結婚，所以並不構成違法行為。
政府上週宣佈，為刺激消費及促進經濟活絡，計畫發放消費券；他家的四十一位成員都可領到這筆錢。
依照該計畫，台灣兩千三百萬人民不論年齡、貧富，都將領到新台幣三千六百元。官員表示，這項計畫預計花費新台幣八百二十億元左右，估計將提高二ＯＯ九年的國內生產毛額零點六四個百分點。
（法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）
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