The disbursement of NT$10,000 cash handouts to the public would follow the model used in 2023, a source within the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
The legislature on Friday passed amendments to 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), paving the way for the cash handouts.
The handouts are required to be distributed within one month of the special budget’s promulgation and should be completed within seven months, according to the amendments.
Photo: CNA
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the Cabinet would finalize the special budget as soon as possible and submit it to the legislature at the start of the next legislative session, making it likely that the payments would start in October.
Some of the processes have already been initiated, they added.
The disbursement would use the cash handout in 2023 as a reference, they said.
In 2023, the government employed five different methods of distribution, including direct transfers, ATM withdrawals, counter withdrawals at post offices, distribution via special rosters for rural townships and direct transfers for specific groups.
The specific groups include those receiving Labor Insurance, the National Pension Insurance, farmers’ subsidies, the Labor Pension Fund, subsidies for the physically challenged, subsidies for elderly people with medium to low incomes and veterans receiving public care.
At the time, the government also set up a Web site enabling people to check their eligibility and obtain the handouts, with a dedicated section providing anti-scam warnings and tips.
According to Ministry of Finance data, 23.48 million people, or 99.7 percent of the population, had collected the handouts from March 22, 2023, to Jan. 31 last year.
The most popular method of withdrawal was direct transfer, at 39.8 percent, followed by ATM withdrawal at 24.3 percent and direct transfers to specific groups at 18.1 percent, according to the statistics.
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