The pan-blue-dominated Procedure Committee yesterday decided to include in Friday's plenary agenda an amendment proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus to the National Pension Law (國民年金法) that would allow farmers to choose whether to join the national pension system.
The amendment, proposed and endorsed by 40 pan-blue legislators, said that the law, which will take effect on Oct. 1, would require all farmers, many of whom participate in farmers' insurance plans, to join the national pension system.
However, farmers who only have to pay a monthly premium of NT$78 in the farmers' insurance system would be obliged to pay NT$674 every month after joining the national pension system, the proposal said.
KMT Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡), one of the lawmakers who initiated the proposal, said the Cabinet failed to understand that farmers may not be able to afford the increased premiums.
Farmers would also be unable to enjoy the same amount of funeral subsidy -- about NT$153,000 -- they received from the farmers' insurance system if they chose the national system, the proposal said.
The legislature will decide whether to put the proposal to committee review during Friday's plenary session.
The Procedure Committee also blocked several bills proposed by the Democratic Progressive Party caucus, including a draft bill that would require the KMT to return its stolen assets and the Cabinet's request to abolish the Organic Law of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Management Office (
Meanwhile, the legislature decided yesterday that it would discuss a proposed amendment to the Value-Added and Non Value-Added Business Tax Act (
The Cabinet passed and sent the proposal to the legislature in December in support of the government's efforts to stabilize commodity prices.
The amendment was written in response to figures showing the country imports nearly 100 percent of its supplies of the four staples, whose prices are closely linked to that of crude oil.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
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The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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