Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday suggested for the first time that the Executive Yuan may allow retired workers covered by the labor insurance program to collect elderly stipends.
If the proposal becomes a law, more than 440,000 senior citizens would qualify for the pension. Currently, only citizens not yet covered by any pension program may claim the stipends.
"After holding several meetings to discuss the matter, we've reached the consensus that we wish to include retired workers aged 65 and older on the roster of recipients for the seniors' pension program," Yu said.
As for how much the plan will cost, Yu said that he will not have the answer until related ministries report back to him.
The ministries are the Ministry of the Interior, the Council of Labor Affairs and the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.
The cost of the change is estimated at NT$5.6 billion a year.
The legislature passed the NT$16 billion senior stipend program in May to provide a monthly stipend of NT$3,000 for citizens 65 years and older.
The age requirement for Aborigines is 55, due to their shorter life expectancy. That provision will cost the government an additional NT$400 million.
The program, retroactive to Jan. 1, affects 440,000 senior citizens, including 11,700 Aborigines.
Since the passage of the two pieces of legislation, the TSU has proposed expanding the program to cover those who already receive a pension from the labor insurance program.
To replace the provisional program, the Executive Yuan approved on June 12 the draft proposal for the national pension program, which would benefit almost 4 million people not covered by an insurance policy.
The Cabinet hopes to implement the scheme no later than 2004.
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