Defying the Cabinet's stance on the issue, a group of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday proposed raising the monthly subsidy for elderly farmers.
The proposal, which calls for the subsidy to be increased by NT$1,000, was put forward by DPP caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (
When fielding questions on the legislative floor yesterday, Premier Su Tseng-chang (
PHOTO: CNA
"We will deliberate how to take care of underprivileged people should the bill to establish a national pension system fail to clear the legislature before July," Su said.
He restated his opposition to subsidy increases when answering questions from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sun Ta-chien (
"The proposed amendment [calling for a subsidy increase] needs approval from the DPP caucus meeting [on Friday] if Wang Sing-nan wants to put it in the caucus' name," Su said.
Last Thursday, President Chen Shui-bian (
"I must say, the president never `asked' us to [increase the farmers' subsidy]. He `hopes' that we will do so," Su said yesterday. "In addition, the pension system as a whole should be our focus rather than any specific part of it, and the farmers' subsidy is supposed to be a part of that system."
At his press conference yesterday, Wang also lashed out at Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen (
"Tsai doesn't understand the president's instructions at all," Wang said.
In her defense, Tsai, in a separate setting, said: "I was just kidding. I will pay my taxes on time."
However, Tsai did say that increasing the farmers' subsidy would significantly increase the government's debt and that she was against the proposal.
Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Wang Jung-chang (
Wang Jung-chang expressed concern that a plan to increase the subsidy would use money earmarked for underprivileged people.
"The government must impose a stock exchange tax -- which could generate NT$150 billion a year -- if it wants to increase the subsidy for elderly farmers. Otherwise, the elderly will suffer," he said.
The Cabinet is supposed to present its proposed national pension law to the legislature today after deliberation at the weekly Cabinet meeting.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
Starting on Jan. 1, YouBike riders must have insurance to use the service, and a six-month trial of NT$5 coupons under certain conditions would be implemented to balance bike shortages, a joint statement from transportation departments across Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan announced yesterday. The rental bike system operator said that coupons would be offered to riders to rent bikes from full stations, for riders who take out an electric-assisted bike from a full station, and for riders who return a bike to an empty station. All riders with YouBike accounts are automatically eligible for the program, and each membership account
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
RSS