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
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS