President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yestersday asked the government to look into adjusting the current subsidy program for parental leave.
Under the current Employment Insurance Act (就業保險法), those who take parental leave are entitled to a subsidy of 60 percent of their monthly salary for up to six months.
Ma requested Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lin Join-sane (林中森) to look into whether the subsidy amount should be -staggered based on family income.
His request came at a Central Standing Committee meeting of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). He made the inquiry after listening to a presentation by Wang Lih-rong (王麗容), the director of National Taiwan University’s -Social Policy Research Center.
Wang recommended that the government implement a “ladder-style” formula to the subsidy, based on -income. Under such a system, lower-salaried couples would get a greater percentage guaranteed for parental leave, while those with a higher salary would get less.
Ma said Wang’s suggestion “makes sense.”
The current system means everyone gets the same 60 percent rate, but “this percentage needs to be adjusted according to the level of the salary.”
Ma added that lower-salaried couples should get 70 percent or even higher, while higher-salary couples do not necessarily need a 60 percent subsidy.
“I feel it is a more fair approach,” the president said.
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