The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party on July 11 leveraged their legislative majority to pass the third reading of the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及國土安全韌性特別條例). It included a universal NT$10,000 (US$334) cash handout, although the Executive Yuan did not include such a measure in the original budget. That contravenes Article 70 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the legislature cannot make proposals for expenditure increases in a budgetary bill presented by the Cabinet.
Local governments could distribute cash directly to residents, so long as they have approval from the county or city council. Kinmen County, for example, issued NT$6,000 in subsidies and stimulus vouchers to residents in 2021. Other counties, cities and even townships have implemented similar measures in the past without difficulty.
It ultimately comes down to two things — whether the local government has the funds, and whether local government leaders and council members are willing to distribute those funds.
This issue brings to mind how, on the eve of the recall vote on Saturday last week, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) sent out a barrage of text messages urging voters to brave the wind and rain to vote against the recall, writing: “Lu Shiow-yen needs your help.” She also told citizens that if they did not vote, they would lose out on four things — the NT$10,000 cash handout, five extra national holidays for workers, the death penalty for cases of child abuse resulting in death and the rights and interests of military personnel, police and firefighters.
Lu had said that the central government should “return the money to the people,” and that it should be done “as soon as possible,” ideally in the form of direct cash payments.
After the recall vote, messages spread online that the Taichung City Government has a tax revenue surplus of NT$12 billion, prompting calls for a similar universal cash handout. Lu immediately denounced the reports as false and threatened to take legal action.
Her response gave rise to online ridicule, with some commenting that “she called for cash handouts before the recall vote, but now that it is over, she is calling for lawsuits.” Others questioned her behavior: “We do not even have free speech anymore. Has Taichung declared martial law?”
Since the KMT-led Taichung, Taipei and New Taipei City governments have excess tax revenue, should those not be distributed to residents? Is this not in line with the reasoning and spirit of the Legislative Yuan’s decision?
People commenting online were merely expressing a wish that aligns the KMT’s logic that surplus tax revenue should be “returned to the people.” They were asking Lu to lead by example and follow through on her own words — so why then, were they accused of spreading lies and threatened with lawsuits?
Taiwan has a saying to describe public servants who live off public resources and pocket the funds as their own, unwilling to part with a single cent. I sincerely hope that KMT leaders of local governments would be more generous toward their residents and — following the Legislative Yuan’s example — “return money to the people.”
After all, it is best to avoid double standards.
John Yu is a civil servant in Taipei.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has offered Taiwan a paradoxical mix of reassurance and risk. Trump’s visceral hostility toward China could reinforce deterrence in the Taiwan Strait. Yet his disdain for alliances and penchant for transactional bargaining threaten to erode what Taiwan needs most: a reliable US commitment. Taiwan’s security depends less on US power than on US reliability, but Trump is undermining the latter. Deterrence without credibility is a hollow shield. Trump’s China policy in his second term has oscillated wildly between confrontation and conciliation. One day, he threatens Beijing with “massive” tariffs and calls China America’s “greatest geopolitical
On Sunday, 13 new urgent care centers (UCC) officially began operations across the six special municipalities. The purpose of the centers — which are open from 8am to midnight on Sundays and national holidays — is to reduce congestion in hospital emergency rooms, especially during the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year. It remains to be seen how effective these centers would be. For one, it is difficult for people to judge for themselves whether their condition warrants visiting a major hospital or a UCC — long-term public education and health promotions are necessary. Second, many emergency departments acknowledge
US President Donald Trump’s seemingly throwaway “Taiwan is Taiwan” statement has been appearing in headlines all over the media. Although it appears to have been made in passing, the comment nevertheless reveals something about Trump’s views and his understanding of Taiwan’s situation. In line with the Taiwan Relations Act, the US and Taiwan enjoy unofficial, but close economic, cultural and national defense ties. They lack official diplomatic relations, but maintain a partnership based on shared democratic values and strategic alignment. Excluding China, Taiwan maintains a level of diplomatic relations, official or otherwise, with many nations worldwide. It can be said that
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) made the astonishing assertion during an interview with Germany’s Deutsche Welle, published on Friday last week, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a dictator. She also essentially absolved Putin of blame for initiating the war in Ukraine. Commentators have since listed the reasons that Cheng’s assertion was not only absurd, but bordered on dangerous. Her claim is certainly absurd to the extent that there is no need to discuss the substance of it: It would be far more useful to assess what drove her to make the point and stick so
RSS