The legislature yesterday passed a highly anticipated spending plan to redistribute surplus tax revenue, including a NT$6,000 (US$197.67) handout to citizens and eligible foreign nationals beginning on April 6.
The bill to distribute NT$379.9 billion from surplus tax revenues was approved by lawmakers across party lines after they agreed to cut NT$120 million, or 3.29 percent, from the proposed NT$380 billion.
The bill, proposed by the Cabinet late last month, budgets tax surplus from fiscal 2022 and would be used until 2025 to cover debts accumulated by state-run companies and programs, and provide incentives to help boost the economy.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
A total of NT$141.7 billion is budgeted for the NT$6,000 cash handout foreign nationals with permanent residency and resident spouses of Taiwanese nationals are also eligible to receive.
Foreign nationals without permanent residency are not eligible, regardless of whether they have paid taxes in Taiwan.
Other allocations include NT$30 billion to the Labor Insurance fund, NT$20 billion to the National Health Insurance fund and NT$50 billion to state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower), all of which have been operating at a loss.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs is to receive NT$31.7 billion for subsidies to small and medium-sized enterprises and the manufacturing sector.
Another NT$10.3 billion is to go to the Ministry of Health and Welfare for financial assistance to low-income and lower-middle-income households, people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to receive NT$27.4 billion to subsidize public transportation fares and provide incentives for foreign tourists to visit Taiwan.
Aside from NT$1.3 billion that is being held in reserve, the remaining surplus revenues are to go to the education, culture and interior ministries for subsidies and programs.
Dozens of proposed changes to the bill were rejected yesterday after being put to the vote, including a proposal by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to raise the cash handout to NT$10,000.
Speaking after the bill’s passage, KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) said he hopes the cash handouts help Taiwanese, despite the failure of his party to increase the amount.
However, Tseng criticized the allocation of NT$50 billion to Taipower, saying the company’s financial problems were caused by the government’s failures in its energy policy.
Taipower has denied similar claims and blamed “soaring international fuel prices” for its losses.
The company recorded losses of NT$267.5 billion last year and NT$32.1 billion, before tax, in January, an increase of NT$5.9 billion over the same month last year.
Although the soaring cost of natural gas and other fuels was at the root of the losses, Taipower was not able to pass on the costs to power users as the government tried to manage inflation.
The government has also moved to use natural gas more aggressively in Taiwan’s overall power mix as it phases out nuclear power and reduces the use of coal-fired power plants because of emissions concerns, leaving Taiwan more vulnerable to increases in the fuel’s price.
Despite government reluctance to raise electricity prices, it agreed on March 17 to do so to “reflect costs.”
Households and small businesses are to see an average electricity price increase of 2.6 percent starting on Saturday next week, while industries would be affected by a more marked increase of 14.2 percent.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) thanked lawmakers shortly after the bill was passed and said the government would do its best to allocate the cash payments “as soon as possible.”
Online registration for the cash handouts began on Wednesday.
People who complete registration before Monday are to receive payment as early as April 6 via direct deposit, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said.
Retrieval via ATMs would be available from April 10, and at post offices from April 17.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS