Sat, Apr 28, 2007 page3

• Su says farmers won't get more money if bill fails

  DIFFERENCE OF OPINION? The premier was talking about a proposal by the president to raise farmer's allowances should a new pension bill fail to pass

  • By Flora Wang / STAFF REPORTER
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  While urging the Legislative Yuan to pass a draft law on a national pension program as soon as possible, the premier yesterday said the Cabinet would not increase farmers' monthly subsidies in the event the bill fails to pass the legislature.

  Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) made the remarks during a question-and-answer session in the Legislative Yuan, when asked to comment on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) proposal that the monthly allowance for elderly farmers be raised by NT$1,000 (US$30.12) to NT$6,000 if the national pension bill does not pass the legislature by July.

  Asked whether he disagreed with the president's policy, Su refused to comment.

  Cabinet Spokeswoman Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) said on Thursday that the Executive Yuan would not raise the monthly allowance for elderly farmers even if a draft bill on a national pension program failed to clear the Legislative Yuan by July.

  Chen said it was a resolution of last year's Economic Sustainability Forum that subsidies should be raised before a national pension program starts.

  Media speculation

  Chen's remarks prompted media speculation yesterday that there may be discord between the Cabinet on the one hand and the Presidential Office and DPP caucus on the other.

  DPP legislative whip Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) told a press conference the president had clearly pointed out earlier this year that developing a national annuity system was "the right direction for Taiwan to develop its social welfare system."

  But the president also said that monthly subsidies to elderly farmers should be raised from NT$5,000 (US$151) to NT$6,000, he said.

  "I would like to tell the Cabinet that the president's ultimate goal is to develop a national annuity system, but before the legislation of such a system is completed, the Cabinet should collaborate with the caucus' consensus and the president's instruction to raise the subsidy to elderly farmers," he said.

  Amended bill

  He added that the caucus will propose its own amendment bill to the Temporary Statute Regarding the Welfare Pension of Senior Farmers (老年農民福利津貼暫行條例) soon.

  There are currently, three kinds of monthly allowances for senior citizens aged 65 or over: NT$3,000 per month for those who have registered their households in Taiwan and have lived in the country for more than 183 days per year over the past three years and who are not receiving government-subsidized shelter placement or retirement pensions for military personnel; NT$5,000 per month for those who made a living from farming or fishing; and between NT$3,000 and NT$6,000 per month for low-income families.

  Officials' tallies show that the government paid out NT$71.2 billion between January and November last year in allowances for senior citizens, with the number of beneficiaries totalling 1.63 million.

  Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
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