The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it plans this year to propose amendments to the Public Assistance Act (社會救助法) to better reflect the number of people living in poverty.
About 2.2 million people who live below the poverty line have been sidelined by social welfare policies because they do not conform to the government’s definition of a low or middle-to-low-income household, civic groups say.
Homeless Taiwan Association member Wang Chin-wei (王今暐) said he last week determined the 2.2 million figure by looking at 2021 data, which showed that the median disposable income that year was NT$325,948.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Sixty percent of that number is NT$195,569, which he said he used to determine the “poverty line.”
Twelve percent of the population, or about 2.8 million people, had annual incomes that were on average lower than the poverty line, Wang said.
Taking away the 600,000 people already registered as being in the low or middle-to-low-income bracket, 2.2 million people remained who did not qualify for help under the social welfare system, he said.
Compared with the UK, the US, Japan and South Korea, Taiwan’s definition of “poverty” is strict, and the government should review the eligibility of individuals for subsidies, he said.
Ministry of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) agreed.
He said that “fringe groups” are being disqualified from being considered low-income because they own real estate, adding that the standards should be relaxed so that more people in need can receive benefits.
The Support Plan for Self-Use Housing Loans by Individuals Under Middle-Class was created to help people in mid-to-low income households who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic take out loans to purchase a home, he said.
Like people who rent, mid-to-low-income groups also need government assistance, he added.
Department of Social Assistance and Social Work Director-General Su Chao-ju (蘇昭如) said that social problems are multifaceted and the Public Assistance Act is not the only way to address these issues.
The act is the foundation of many social welfare policies, and the ministry recognizes that it is past due for amendment, she said, adding that it is meeting with local governments and other agencies to solicit opinions.
Draft amendments should be created this year, she said.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved 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民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS