The Legislative Yuan today passed the third and final reading of an NT$550 billion (US$17.93 billion) special budget act to counter the effects of US tariffs, including universal cash handouts of NT$10,000.
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to promulgate the bill next week, Minister of Finance Chuang Tsui-yun (莊翠雲) said yesterday.
The Ministry of Finance said that it would convene a news conference on the same day to announce specific details regarding the cash handouts.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Foreign nationals with permanent residency or those married to Taiwanese would be eligible for the handouts, the Executive Yuan said previously.
Distribution is expected to begin at the start of next month via five methods: direct bank transfer, registered transfer, ATM withdrawal, post office withdrawal and a roster-based distribution system, the ministry said.
The final budget for the 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) was reduced by NT$5.298 billion today following adjustments proposed by the opposition parties.
The Executive Yuan approved the special budget on Sept. 11, totaling NT$550 billion, including NT$236 billion for cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds expected to be used to support industry.
A joint review by six legislative committees passed the special budget on Thursday last week and submitted it for cross-party negotiations.
The parties reached a consensus on Tuesday in a plenary session and agreed to pass the third reading today.
Today’s legislative session introduced budget adjustments, including a Taiwan People’s Party proposal to cut the budget for media policy and outreach by NT$20 million, with an additional NT$4 million frozen.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) also proposed freezing NT$100 million from the National Health Insurance Fund.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continues to support strengthening marine patrols and disaster prevention and response efforts, DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said, urging opposition parties not to let party differences undermine public interest.
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
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