Two New Power Party (NPP) lawmakers yesterday called for nonprofit organizations to be included in a proposed expansion of the government’s special COVID-19 budget.
Nonprofit organizations dedicated to social welfare undertake many tasks that contribute to the social safety net, roles that the government might be unable to fulfill, NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) told a news conference at the party’s legislative caucus office in Taipei.
Many people consider nonprofit organizations the “last line of defense” in social welfare, Chiu said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, donations to social welfare and nonprofit groups have declined, he said.
Workshops run by the groups are also facing a significant loss of income, Chiu added.
Nonprofit groups, regardless of whether they focus on charity, social welfare, environmental protection, education, culture or other areas, play an important role in providing a social safety net, NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said, adding that the third sector has been “forgotten” in the government’s relief plan.
Ministries and agencies should survey the needs of nonprofit organizations in regard to relief, because those needs would differ from corporate needs, she said.
In the US, Canada and Australia, nonprofits are eligible for their governments’ COVID-19 relief programs, Chiu said.
A portion of the proposed NT$150 billion (US$4.99 billion) to be added to the government’s special COVID-19 budget should be used to set up a credit guarantee scheme for nonprofit organizations, he said.
As organizations dedicated to social welfare make up about 30 percent of all nonprofits in Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare should be responsible for including such a scheme in the proposed expansion, Chiu said.
As small and medium-sized nonprofits might be unfamiliar with bank operations, a single point of contact should be established to help them secure loans, he said.
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