Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) said the party supports the universal cash handout policy proposed by the government and would like to see the amount increased from NT$10,000 (US$313) to between NT$20,000 and NT$30,000.
President William Lai (賴清德) on Monday last week announced that the government would allocate NT$235.7 billion of next year’s budget to fund a NT$10,000 cash payment for every citizen next year as the economy continues to grow.
Speaking to reporters at the Legislative Yuan today, Fu said Taiwan's economic growth rate this year far exceeds that of last year.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Given that the government distributed NT$10,000 per person last year, the KMT caucus hopes the amount next year could be raised to between NT$20,000 and NT$30,000.
The government should address the public's urgent needs and hardships and excess tax revenues should be returned to the people, he said, urging the government to heed the Legislative Yuan's response on the issue.
The actual timetable for distributing the cash handout would depend on the progress of deliberations on the central government budget, the National Treasury Administration said, adding that the Ministry of Finance respects the Legislative Yuan's budget review process.
Asked about Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) recent anger over Fu’s absence from cross-party negotiations, Fu said that he and Han put the greater good above personal interests and that only by standing united could they win Taiwan back and improve people’s lives.
Regarding the recent dispute over whether the premier should countersign bills passed by the legislature, Fu said he hoped Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) would take a broader view, urging him to review the Constitution and work with Han to maintain stability, avoid partisan infighting and safeguard Taiwan’s democracy.
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The government would distribute a NT$10,000 cash handout to all citizens next year as Taiwan’s economy continues to grow, President William Lai (賴清德) said today, emphasizing that economic growth could reach a 39-year high. The president made the remarks this morning at the Presidential Office after being briefed on the Executive Yuan’s proposed central government budget for next year for the second time. The forecasts for Taiwan’s economic growth have continued to improve, driven by its longstanding strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology and manufacturing supply chains, Lai said. The government would focus on five key policies next year: advancing its new
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