The government plans to give each Taiwanese a one-off cash payment of NT$6,000 (US$195.35) as a rebate from what has been described as surplus tax revenue, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.
The government would keep NT$40 billion of the NT$180 billion in surplus tax revenue in reserve and share the rest with the public, Su told reporters in Chiayi County.
With the aim of “sharing the nation’s economic achievements with all citizens, young and old,” each Taiwanese would be given NT$6,000, Su said.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsun, Taipei Times
It remains unclear whether foreign nationals residing in Taiwan who have paid taxes to the government would be included in the rebate plan.
Asked about the matter, the Cabinet did not provide any details, saying only that “planning is ongoing.”
Su said that the government aims issue the cash payment shortly after the Lunar New Year holiday from Jan. 20 to 29.
The Cabinet would have to send the plan to the legislature for approval.
Given repeated calls by legislators across party lines for the surplus tax revenue to be returned to the public, the legislature is likely to make a decision soon after the Cabinet submits its proposal.
However, lawmakers are split on when they should review such a plan. The legislature’s regular session has been extended to Friday next week to give lawmakers more time to review the central government’s proposed general budget for this year.
While Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have said that a provisional session should be held from Jan. 16 to 20 to discuss the matter, Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said it was better to do so in the next session, which is to begin before the end of next month.
Su’s announcement followed a policy reversal by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who, despite earlier ruling out any imminent plans to give the surplus back to the public, on Tuesday promised a rebate plan.
The Ministry of Finance estimated that last year’s tax revenue could exceed the amount budgeted by NT$450 billion after the central government collected more than NT$3 trillion in tax revenue in the first 11 months of last year.
The government would spend most of the NT$450 billion on initiatives, such as closing financing gaps in the Labor Insurance and National Health Insurance funds, and subsidizing electricity prices, the Presidential Office said in a statement after a meeting on Saturday.
The government would also distribute NT$70 billion of the total to local governments, while leaving a reserve of NT$180 billion that would be “shared with the people,” the statement said.
Also yesterday, Su said that the Cabinet has extended the monthly living allowance of NT$750 and NT$500 for individuals in low and middle-to-low income households until the end of this year.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare would coordinate with local authorities to ensure eligible recipients receive this month’s allowance before the Lunar New Year holiday, he said.
As part of the government’s COVID-19 relief measures, the monthly payments were given on top of other allowances.
The program, which was originally scheduled to run until last month, benefits about 620,000 households, the ministry said in March last year, when it was launched.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS