Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$326) are to be disbursed next month at the earliest, if the special resilience budget can pass its third reading tomorrow, Minister of Finance Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲) said today.
Distribution would start sequentially early next month, Chuang said when attending the legislature’s Finance Committee for an interpellation session.
The first group would be those eligible for automatic direct bank deposits, she added.
Photo: Tsung Chang-chin, Taipei Times
Asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) about the disbursement schedule, she said that the ministry must first verify the roster for direct deposits, finalize registration for remote areas and complete the online registration platform for the public.
The ministry is to explain the disbursement methods and schedule to the public on the same day the president signs the special act into law next week if the bill is passed by the legislature, she said.
She said that the cash distribution must adhere to principles of security and accuracy, requiring the roster compilation to be handled with the "best preparation" to ensure no repetitions or omissions.
It is estimated that compiling the roster would take about five working days, she said.
The distribution of the universal cash handout is to begin within one month of the special budget's promulgation and must be completed within seven months, as stipulated by Article 9 of the special act, the ministry said.
The Cabinet on Sept. 11 approved a NT$550 billion budget, based on the newly amended Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例), which stipulated a budget ceiling of NT$570 billion.
The NT$550 billion budget includes NT$236 billion for cash handouts, while NT$20 billion would be reserved for future industrial support.
The special budget passed its initial review at the legislature on Thursday last week.
A consensus was reached in cross-party negotiations yesterday that the legislature is not to request a reconsideration of the bill to allow the act to pass its third reading.
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