The Executive Yuan yesterday allowed more Taiwanese to take part in the Sports Points and Culture Points programs, to stimulate domestic spending and develop the sectors.
The voucher programs for sports, culture and Hakka culture were expanded after a performance review, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said.
The Sports Points program would select 600,000 Taiwanese older than 16 through a lottery, she said.
Photo: CNA
They would receive NT$500 (US$15.82) credits to spend on sports events and equipment, she added.
Eligibility for the Culture Points program would be expanded to Taiwanese between the ages of 13 and 22, Lee said, adding that they would receive NT$1,200 credits.
The expanded eligibility would benefit about 2.63 million people, she said.
Minister of Sports Lee Yang (李洋) said the Sports Points program expansion would allow Taiwanese of all ages to participate in the lottery instead of only young people.
The points could be used for gym fees, buying tickets for sports events or athletic equipment purchases, with a spending limit of NT$200 on the last category, he said.
The sports ministry is working with Taipei to organize an event that features the programs, and expects to collaborate with other agencies to promote the scheme, he said.
People interested in participating in the program should submit their names to the ministry from Monday next week to Feb. 8, Lee said.
Deputy Minister of Culture Sue Wang (王時思) said changes to the Culture Points program would increase the number of eligible Taiwanese to about 2 million, including 814,000 who have received the credits since Jan. 1.
The Hakka Points program rewards NT$1,000 credits to Taiwanese who have Hakka-language proficiency certifications, or those who have received commendations for their achievements in Hakka language and heritage, Hakka Affairs Council Minister Ku Hsiu-Fei (古秀妃) said.
The points are also part of a lottery for Taiwanese aged between 18 and 49, she said.
About NT$100 million of points from the program have been spent, of which more than 70 percent were used in the community of people who received the credits, she said.
About 40 percent of the total points have been spent, Ku said, adding that more program expansions are being mulled.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS