Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday unveiled his campaign platform on youth, promising to offer interest-free loans of up to NT$3 million (US$96,000) to the city’s younger residents who plan to study abroad or start their own businesses.
Promising to build a better future for Taipei City’s younger residents if re-elected next month, Hau proposed that Taipei residents between the ages of 20 and 40 would be eligible to apply for study abroad loans ranging from NT$1 million to NT$3 million.
The subsidy recipients would not be required to begin repaying the -interest-free loan until the sixth year. The city government would give the subsidy to 1,000 residents a year.
Hau also proposed giving NT$1 million interest-free loans to people between the ages of 20 and 40 who plan to start their own businesses. Taipei residents whose business proposals are approved by the city government would be eligible for the subsidy and would not have to begin repaying the loan for the first five years after receiving it.
“Younger generations are the hope and the future for the city, and it is the city government’s obligation to offer assistance to the city’s youth and help them carry out their dreams,” he said in a press conference held at his campaign headquarters.
Hau’s campaign headquarters said the proposal would cost about NT$50 million a year. If Hau were re-elected, his municipal team would use the mayor’s emergency fund to pay for the budget next year, and the city government would include the proposal in its annual budget in the future.
Hau promised to carry out the proposals if elected and criticized Democratic Progressive Party candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) by saying he had presented no solid campaign platform, but only empty slogans in his campaign.
“Unlike Mr Su, who only used empty slogans to fool the voters, I present comprehensive programs that are feasible, and I will act on my promises if elected,” he said.
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