The number of people covered by the national pension system had declined to 4.01 million as of the end of last year, 26,000 fewer than when the system was launched in 2008 as part of the national welfare network, government statistics showed.
Vice Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) said yesterday the drop was attributable to the fact that some of the insured opted out and turned instead to labor or farmer insurance schemes.
“People are free to pay into the insurance scheme that is most beneficial to them,” Chien said.
The national pension system was designed for people between the age of 25 and 64 who are not covered by public functionary insurance, labor insurance or any other public insurance schemes.
The insured, who pay 60 percent of the premiums while the government covers the rest, are entitled to receive pensions depending on how long they have been covered when they turn 65.
The national pension system completed the country’s social insurance network after it took effect on Oct. 1, 2008, said Huang Pi-hsia (黃碧霞), director of the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Social Affairs.
Under the network, people can choose their insurance scheme based on their vocational status. Should they become unemployed, they will be automatically classified as insured under the national pension system, Huang said.
Asked about those who are forced to drop out of the insurance system because they cannot afford to pay the premiums, Huang said the government provides subsidies for those whose “incomes are below standard.”
Data show that the 4.01 million insured, including the unemployed, street vendors, housekeepers, naturalized foreign spouses and students above the age of 25 account for 29.4 percent of the country’s population aged between 25 and 64.
Nearly 1.03 million of the insured received a total of NT$37.7 billion (US$1.2 billion) in payments from the national pension system last year, the ministry said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS