The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a NT$260 billion (US$9.38 billion) expansion to the COVID-19 relief program known as “Stimulus 4.0,” which would funnel subsidies to 7.3 million Taiwanese.
People who applied for relief subsidies last year and qualify under this year’s conditions would have money deposited in their registered bank accounts from today, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting.
First-time applicants for pandemic relief should apply remotely via the Ministry of Labor’s Web site (https://edesk.bli.gov.tw/aa/) or by mail from Monday next week, Su added.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
Although the premier holds weekly Cabinet meetings, he rarely attends the post-meeting news conferences, as the Executive Yuan spokesperson or a minister typically fills that role.
Enterprises can also apply for pandemic relief from Monday next week, while applications for the childrearing household subsidy and the general worker relief loan would be accepted from June 15, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said.
The childrearing household subsidy has been expanded to include families with children younger than elementary-school age, or those who have children with physical or mental disabilities up to high-school age or in the first three years of vocational school, he said.
Photo: CNA
Families are to receive a subsidy of NT$10,000 per child, while low and middle-income families would receive NT$4,500 more distributed over three months, Kung said.
Agricultural and fishery workers would receive a subsidy of at least NT$10,000 per person, he said.
Category A members of fishers’ associations with a National Labor Insurance premium of less than NT$24,000 would instead receive a subsidy of NT$30,000, he said.
Temporary workers who are not agricultural or fishery workers, but who are working and have no labor insurance can apply for an emergency relief loan of NT$10,000 to NT$30,000.
Creative industry workers who are self-employed or who have no definite employer; taxi drivers and tour bus drivers; tour guides and tour group leaders are to receive a subsidy of NT$30,000 distributed over three months.
Visually impaired massage workers are to receive NT$45,000 over three months.
Babysitters and family care providers who have worked as recently as April 30 are to receive NT$30,000.
Coaches, commentators, referees and other workers in the sports industry, as well as community college lecturers are to receive up to NT$40,000.
The inclusion of those who are self-employed and childrearing households expanded the relief program 80 percent, Kung said.
Stimulus 4.0 is designed to help individuals and enterprises to pull through the near-term, from last month to August, he said, adding that a second expansion of relief coverage would be possible if needed.
Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民), whose ministry drafted the budget, said that the package is not at risk of overrunning the limit of the legislature’s emergency authorization.
A buffer of NT$160 billion remains of the NT$420 billion additionally authorized by the Legislative Yuan last week, Chu added.
The Ministry of Labor said that the relief would benefit 1.85 million self-employed workers and workers without a definite employer.
Qualified workers would, depending on their income, receive a subsidy of NT$10,000 or NT$30,000, the labor ministry said.
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