President Chen Shui-bian's (
Despite the delay, the Cabinet has denied that the new government had gone back on its promises, and said that the stipends would still be issued, albeit with a delay.
"As the national pension program is a social welfare program that is on a larger scale [than the stipend for the elderly scheme]," the Cabinet's decision didn't mean that the new administration had made an about-face, said Interior Minister Chang Po-ya (
The Cabinet agreed to withdraw its draft for the stipend for the elderly plan and promised it would propose a new bill for a national pension program before the next legislative session begins in September.
Cheng Pao-ching (
"Wouldn't it be a better offer if a senior citizen could receive NT$7,000 under the national pension scheme, rather than NT$3,000 (under the proposed stipend program)?" Cheng said.
Chang also said the new administration was ready to launch the national pension program starting from the beginning of next year as long as the legislature passes a related bill for the scheme.
Chang's comments came as a response to conclusions reached at a cross-party negotiation at the legislature yesterday morning.
Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The Cabinet should then propose a draft of the national pension program before the next session starts, Wang said.
"Then lawmakers and various legislative caucuses could withdraw their proposals on the stipend for the elderly scheme as well," Wang added.
Lawmakers also agreed to push for the launch of the national pension program, saying Jan. 1, 2001 would be an ideal date to start "in principle," Wang said.
Lawmakers reviewed five proposals on the stipend for the elderly program at the Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare Committee meeting yesterday, but the disparate terms regarding eligibility qualifications under these proposals made it difficult for lawmakers to reach any consensus, legislators admitted.
Under the Executive Yuan's proposal, elderly citizens aged 65 and above would receive a monthly stipend of NT$3,000 as long as they do not receive other government-funded subsides or pensions.
This proposal does not have restrictions on eligibility and would benefit 390,000 people, costing NT$14 billion per year. However, the KMT's proposal would benefit 1.4 million people and would cost the government about NT$50 billion every year
While the DPP's Chang said the KMT proposed its draft simply to obstruct the administration's plan to launch the program next month, KMT lawmakers ridiculed the Cabinet instead.
KMT lawmaker Huang Chao-shun (
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
EMBRACING TAIWAN: US lawmakers have introduced an act aiming to replace the use of ‘Chinese Taipei’ with ‘Taiwan’ across all Washington’s federal agencies A group of US House of Representatives lawmakers has introduced legislation to replace the term “Chinese Taipei” with “Taiwan” across all federal agencies. US Representative Byron Donalds announced the introduction of the “America supports Taiwan act,” which would mandate federal agencies adopt “Taiwan” in place of “Chinese Taipei,” a news release on his page on the US House of Representatives’ Web site said. US representatives Mike Collins, Barry Moore and Tom Tiffany are cosponsors of the legislation, US political newspaper The Hill reported yesterday. “The legislation is a push to normalize the position of Taiwan as an autonomous country, although the official US
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS