Lawmakers across party lines yesterday urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to amend the Public Assistance Act (社會救助法), saying the legislation is outdated and hinders access to aid.
Several social welfare groups have established the Alliance for Public Assistance Act Amendment to propose changes to the act, which was last amended in 2010.
Lawmakers said more than 2.2 million financially disadvantaged people cannot receive proper assistance due to the legislation.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said while the poverty line in Taiwan is at a level similar to those in South Korea and Japan, the number of people officially considered as living in poverty is only about 10 percent of those in South Korea and Japan, which indicates many financially disadvantaged people are not eligible for government assistance.
The alliance said many of the eligibility requirements have failed to keep up with the times and changes in society, making it difficult for people to meet eligibility criteria, such as linking their subsidy application to their household registration and calculating estimated earnable income for non-working family members who are considered capable workers.
New Power Party Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said some poor people do not live at the address shown on their household registration, so their registered household does not reflect their actual living conditions.
The requirement for aggregate household income, including estimated earnable income, also makes it difficult for poor people to apply for subsidies, as they might need to provide evidence at a court that some family members are not financially supported and need public assistance, the alliance said.
A social worker surnamed Chang (張) said the act has also caused a cliff effect, discouraging impoverished people who are receiving public assistance from seeking employment or advancing their career, as they worry that an increased income would disqualify them from receiving aid, but not enough to cover the cost of the lost benefit, leaving them worse off.
The alliance hopes the act would be amended to help poor people out of poverty in phases, by gradually reducing support, Chang said.
DPP legislators Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) and Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), and Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Wan-hui (陳琬惠) also supported the draft amendment proposed by the alliance.
Wu said that as she is one the convenors of the Legislative Yuan’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, she would hold public hearings as soon as possible, allowing civic groups to communicate with the ministry on the issue.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS