Starting yesterday, the monthly child-rearing allowance for children aged two to five was increased from NT$3,500 to NT$5,000, a policy President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has touted as part of her efforts to ease the burden on parents.
Tsai said on Facebook that she was glad to see her policy, including a subsidy program targeting couples who experience infertility, receive cross-party support.
“That proves it is right to spare no effort in promoting parent-friendly policies,” Tsai said, pledging that her administration would continue to build a better living environment for future generations.
Photo: Lin Hsin-han, Taipei Times
The increased subsidy is the second phase of the Executive Yuan’s initiative to address the nation’s declining birthrate.
The Executive Yuan approved the initiative in January last year.
The child-rearing subsidy was increased in two stages, the first in August last year, when it was raised from NT$2,500 to NT $3,500.
To apply for the subsidy, parents must have combined income taxes of less than 20 percent, and raise their child or children without government help such as public childcare centers.
Those who are eligible receive NT$5,000 per month for their first child, NT$6,000 for the second child and NT$7,000 for any additional children, the Executive Yuan said.
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