The Executive Yuan yesterday proposed a bill to raise the monthly subsidy for older farmers to NT$10,000 (US$317) from NT$8,110, requiring a budget increase of NT$12.9 billion.
The changes to articles 2, 4 and 7 of the Provisional Act Governing the Welfare Allowance for Elderly Farmers (老年農民福利津貼暫行條例) would loosen means-testing rules and increase the subsidy amount.
The bill would be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review.
Photo: CNA
The ceiling for non-agricultural taxable income would be raised from NT$500,000 to NT$600,000, and the land and housing property value limit would rise from NT$5 million to NT$10.25 million, the draft says, citing changes in calculation, including agriculture-related gains and general income.
Eligibility thresholds of means-testing rules have remained unchanged for more than 13 years, despite rising prices and asset values, the Cabinet said.
The proposal also removes the upper limit on deductions for an applicant’s sole self-occupied residence to prevent exclusion due to housing needs.
Under the new mechanism, the amounts would be adjusted quadrennially, and the amount disbursed would be reviewed biennially, or when the consumer price index increases by 3 percent or more, to combat short-term commodity price inflation.
About 14,505 people are ineligible for farmers’ subsidies, the Executive Yuan said.
About 7,000 farmers are expected to benefit from the amendment and become eligible for the older farmer subsidy, bringing the total number of people eligible for the subsidies nationwide to 530,000, it said.
Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying that the amendment affirms farmers’ contributions to the nation and that they deserve care in their old age.
The changes require a supplementary budget, which could only be pursued after the central government’s annual budget for this year is passed, Lee said, urging the Legislative Yuan to expedite its passage.
The amendment would also affect the general review of other welfare subsidies, Cho added.
All subsidies would adhere to the principles of guaranteeing people’s livelihoods, protecting the disadvantaged and maintaining the nation’s overall fiscal health, he said.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hu Chung-yi (胡忠一) said the NT$10,000 amount was decided based on concerns about negative population growth, particularly over the next four decades.
The senior farmer allowance program was launched in 1995.
Farmers aged 65 or older who have been enrolled in farmers’ insurance for at least 15 years are eligible for the monthly benefit, which was initially set at NT$3,000 and raised to NT$7,000 in 2011.
The allowance was last adjusted to NT$8,110 in 2024.
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