President William Lai (賴清德) on May 20, his second anniversary in office, is expected to announce a comprehensive plan to address the nation’s declining birthrate, focusing on childbirth, child-rearing, education, housing and the workplace, sources said yesterday.
It is expected to expand the childcare policy to cover minors up to 18 years old, up from six, they said.
The policy provides direct allowance for caring for children at home or at childcare facilities, caps out-of-pocket fees for attending non-private kindergartens and seeks to expand the capacity of these institutions.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
The new policy would prioritize gender equality and family-friendly workplaces by enhancing paternity leave and temporary care leave, with the government evaluating subsidies to ease the burden on businesses.
The number of babies born last year was 107,812, dropping for the 10th consecutive year and hitting a new low, government data showed, making Taiwan the nation with the lowest birthrate among major global economies.
Lai has said the declining birthrate is a national security issue.
The current childcare policy — which costs about NT$120 billion (US$3.79 billion) a year — is not enough, he said, vowing to propose a more comprehensive plan.
The Presidential Office and Executive Yuan have held intensive meetings to discuss policy direction, and have listened to opinions and suggestions from Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers and other stakeholders, sources said.
Existing policies are being reviewed and new plans are being formulated, they added.
Following the announcement of the initiative, the Executive Yuan is expected to approve the policies during its weekly Cabinet meeting the next day, with full implementation expected in the second half of the year, sources said.
Minister Without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) yesterday said the policy’s main focus is ensuring comprehensive care and proper upbringing of children into their teenage years.
It also prioritizes gender-equal and friendly workplaces, so parents can care for their children without worry, he said.
Policy details have not yet been finalized, as it involves massive funding and final considerations must be made on how to achieve a budgetary balance, Chen added.
An anonymous Executive Yuan official said the administration considers the demographic crisis a top priority.
The new initiative is centered on five major points — childbirth, child-rearing, education, housing and the workplace — to ease the financial, time and caregiving pressures on young families, the official said.
Regarding housing improvements, a “version 2.0” of the a preferential loan program for young homebuyers would be introduced after the current scheme expires at the end of July, the official said.
Central government social housing projects are expected to lease out more than 1,000 family housing units starting this year, they said, adding that existing rent subsidies would also be maintained.
To create more family-friendly workplaces, public institutions, state-owned enterprises and government agencies would be pushed to establish infant care centers and preschools, the official said.
Private companies would also be encouraged to set up their own childcare facilities, the official added.
The government plans to provide financial support for such corporate facilities through a “quasi-public” policy framework and is reviewing regulations related to establishing them, they said.
The government earlier this year launched an expanded subsidy plan that ensures birth benefits across social insurance programs are increased to NT$100,000 per child, the official said, adding that the third version of the in vitro fertilization subsidy program now offers up to NT$150,000 for first-time applicants.
Subsidies for private university tuition, dormitory fees and scholarships for doctorate degree programs would also continue, they said.
The Ministry of Education has launched a trial program offering monthly stipends of NT$8,000 to NT$10,000 for 8,000 economically disadvantaged, but high-achieving students, they added.
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