The government should focus on establishing stable labor and health insurance systems, and draft reasonable budgets to fund them, as allocating surplus tax revenue to cover funding shortfalls is only a short-term solution, the New Power Party (NPP) caucus said yesterday.
The caucus’ appeal came as the government is planning to allocate about NT$100 billion (US$3.29 billion) of the NT$450 billion in surplus tax revenue collected last year to electricity subsidies and closing funding gaps in the Labor Insurance and National Health Insurance funds.
“We have filed four motions regarding the Executive Yuan’s proposed bill that would appropriate the tax revenue surplus,” NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) told reporters before meeting with legislators of other parties to discuss the motions.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
“We ask the Ministry of Labor to calculate how much retirement funding an older person needs to maintain a basic standard of living,” he said. “All workers should enjoy a dignified life after they retire, regardless of how much they earned when they were employed.”
“It is our belief that nobody should be left behind,” he added.
The Ministry of Labor should quickly propose a labor insurance reform plan and communicate with all stakeholders, as the Labor Insurance Fund could be depleted in five years, Chiu said.
NPP Chairwoman Claire Wang (王婉諭) said that using NT$20 billion from the surplus tax revenue to fund a shortfall in the National Health Insurance system is only a short-term solution.
“We have yet to see a clear long-term plan to address the imminent financial crisis facing the National Health Insurance system,” Wang said. “We ask the Ministry of Health and Welfare to propose specific plans to tackle various problems within the system.”
“The health ministry should propose amendments to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) and explain to the public how it is planning to adjust the health insurance premium rates,” she added.
The Executive Yuan also budgeted NT$750 million to fund “coming-of-age” cash gifts to people aged 18 to 21, Wang said, referring to a program proposed by the Ministry of Culture to boost the cultural and art industries.
Each 18-to-21-year-old would receive NT$1,200, which can be used to purchase books, go to movie theaters or watch art performances, she said.
“We are concerned that young people might use the cash gift to buy textbooks or other school-related books, rather than spending it on art performances. The Ministry of Culture should periodically conduct surveys to see how young people use the cash gift and evaluate how the art and cultural industries benefit from the policy,” she said
NPP Legislator Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said that the Ministry of Economic Affairs should not budget NT$2.3 million to help factories renovate and improve facilities in compliance with government regulations.
“It is unjust to use taxpayers’ money to fund these factories planning to renovate their facilities,” Chen said. “They should pay for the costs themselves.”
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