The Chinese National Party (KMT) yesterday called for the government to distribute universal cash payouts of NT$10,000 (US$305) per person from surplus tax collected last year.
In fiscal year 2024, NT$3.76 trillion in taxes were collected, a record high that surpassed expected tax revenue in last year’s annual budget by NT$528.3 billion, the Ministry of Finance said last week.
KMT lawmakers have since said that the money should be returned to taxpayers, proposing cash payouts of NT$10,000 for each resident in the country.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Even after such a distribution, which would cost NT$230 billion, more than half of the surplus would still be left for the government to use, they said.
In response, the ministry at the time said the government would prioritize reducing debt to ensure financial resilience and discipline, adding that the remaining surplus after debt reduction would be added to the annual surplus and be used as a source of financing.
At a news conference yesterday, the KMT released a poll commissioned by its think tank that showed 66.3 percent of respondents support returning surplus tax collected last year to the public as cash payments of NT$10,000 to each person.
The highest support rates were observed in Taoyuan and Kaohsiung, and Hsinchu, Miaoli, Penghu and Pingtung counties with about 72 percent support in these areas, the think tank said.
The lowest support came from Yunlin, Chiayi and Nantou counties, with 58 percent supporting the measure, it said.
People aged 30 to 39 expressed the highest support rate of 91 percent, while people aged 20 to 29 expressed a support rate of only 38 percent, the poll showed.
National Policy Foundation head Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said the poll, conducted by All Dimensions Public Research, collected 1,068 responses from Thursday to Saturday last week, and has a margin of error of three percentage points.
The Singaporean government announced a tax return of NT$20,000 to Singaporeans aged 20 or older on Tuesday last week, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) told the news conference.
US Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk on Thursday last week said that tax money saved due to federal government layoffs would be returned to US taxpayers, with each receiving US$5,000, Chu said, adding that US President Donald Trump has endorsed the motion.
Taiwan should follow the example of Singapore and the US and return the tax surplus to the public, he said.
According to the KMT caucus, among bills it hopes to pass during the new legislative session that began yesterday is to a enact legislation to share surplus tax revenues with residents.
It said it would introduce a draft amendment to the Budget Act (預算法) to stipulate that once the net amount of the government’s collected tax revenue reaches 120 percent of the budgeted amount, the government should pay a universal tax rebate.
Additional reporting by CNA
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