Enoch Wu (吳怡農), the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate in a legislative by-election in Taipei, on Tuesday said the central government should help local governments expand their fire departments, while his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) proposed tax returns to eligible taxpayers.
A common challenge facing local governments in their efforts to build community resilience has been a lack of resources for fire departments, firefighters and first responders, Wu told a news conference, his fourth in as many weeks, as he outlines his policy positions ahead of the vote on Jan. 8.
Compared with the US, Japan and Singapore, where the ratio of firefighters to population is one to 500, 700 and 900 respectively, the national firefighter-to-population ratio in Taiwan is an “unacceptable” one to 1,423, Wu said, citing National Fire Agency statistics.
Photo: CNA
Given that each local government is responsible for the size of its fire department and many departments are short-staffed due to budget constraints, the central government should provide incentives to boost the numbers of firefighters, Wu said.
The central government should set aside a percentage of its annual budget for local governments to upgrade or replace fire trucks and other firefighting equipment to ensure that the departments are better prepared for emergencies, he said.
As of the end of 2020, there were 97 fire trucks nationwide that had been in service for more than 20 years — in excess of the recommended lifespan of a fire truck, Wu said.
Wang at a separate news conference pledged that if she is elected, she would press the central government into returning surplus tax to eligible taxpayers.
The central government last year had record surplus tax revenue of NT$432.7 billion (US$14.1 billion), bringing the surplus accumulated over the past six years during President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) presidency to NT$1.1 trillion, Wang said.
There are several foreign precedents of governments implementing tax rebates, such as California’s Middle Class Tax Refund introduced in June, under which eligible taxpayers receive a one-time payment, she said.
The central government should provide tax refunds to taxpayers to help address the rising cost of living amid soaring inflation, Wang said.
The by-election is to fill the Zhongshan (中山) and northern Songshan (松山) electoral seat vacated by Taipei mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the KMT. There are three contenders for the position: Wu; Wang, who was re-elected as a Taipei city councilor on Nov. 26; and independent candidate Hsiao He-lin (蕭赫麟).
The Taipei Election Commission is to hold a policy platform presentation on Jan. 4 and is to invite the candidates to take part.
Lots were also drawn on Tuesday to determine the candidates’ positions on the ballot. Wu drew No. 1, Wang 2 and Hsiao 3.
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