The minimum monthly wage next month is to rise to NT$29,500 (US$937.10) from NT$28,590, while the minimum hourly wage would be NT$196, up from NT$190.
About 1.74 million people are expected to benefit from the adjustment of the minimum monthly wage, while about 730,000 would benefit from the hourly wage change, Ministry of Labor data showed.
In line with the adjusted minimum wage, Level 1 of the Labor Insurance and Occupational Accident Insurance for fulltime workers — which links actual wages to insurance brackets for contribution calculations — would rise to NT$29,500.
Photo: CNA
The rest of the levels remain in place, with the insured salaries shifting proportionally.
Level 25 of the Labor Retirement Pension Monthly Contribution Classification Table has been increased to NT$29,500 from NT$28,800, with Level 26 adjusted to fit and other levels unchanged, it said.
The Bureau of Labor Insurance is to carry out the adjustments, which would take effect on Thursday next week, it said.
With the adjustments, about 2.97 million people on the government’s labor insurance scheme, 1.13 million on employment insurance, 4.23 million on occupational accident insurance and 1.26 million on the labor pension fund would be affected, it said.
In other rule changes, cat owners who fail to microchip their pets would face fines of up to NT$15,000, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) since 2008 has required dog owners to microchip and register their pets or face fines of NT$3,000 to NT$15,000.
The same requirement was imposed on cat owners at the start of this year after the act was amended on Dec. 16 last year, with implementation of the new penalties to take effect in the new year.
From Thursday next week, cat owners who fail to microchip their pets would face the same fines as for dog owners, with deadlines to comply with the rules before additional fines are imposed.
Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) is to increase payouts to doctors for some medical examinations and procedures in a bid to retain doctors, officials told a news conference yesterday.
The government has budgeted NT$190 million to bolster retention rates for physicians specializing in pediatric care and pediatric critical care, NHIA Director-General Chen Lian-yu (陳亮妤) said, adding that three areas would be targeted.
Bonuses on top of pediatric critical care medical examination fees would increase by 20 percent, while bonuses for pediatric care of children in general wards would be increased to 60 percent from 30 percent, Chen said.
Reimbursements for treating children younger than six in psychiatric wards during daytime work hours would increase to 1,623 points from 877 points, which is expected to increase costs by NT$8 million, Medical Affairs Department Director Liu Lin-i (劉林義) said.
In addition, reimbursement points would be increased for bilateral orchiopexy and laparoscopic varix ligation procedures, as well as surgeries to treat neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis, gastric perforation, umbilical hernias and inguinal hernias, he said, adding that the changes would cost the National Health Insurance system about NT$30 million.
In addition, reimbursement points for bronchoscopies would rise to 2,938 from 1,680 regardless of the patient’s age, which would likely cost NT$40 million, Liu said.
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