The Ministry of Labor yesterday expressed its misgivings about a lawmaker’s proposal to impose a “wealth cap” that would ban affluent households from employing foreign caregivers, saying it raises concerns about differential treatment and would be difficult to implement.
During a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee on Monday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如) said that wealthy families should be able to afford the services of Taiwanese caregivers.
She proposed that the ministry conduct an evaluation and consider introducing legislation that would prohibit rich households from hiring foreign caregivers.
The committee voted in favor of Chen’s motion, demanding that the ministry complete its evaluation within a month.
While foreign caregivers typically earn a monthly wage of NT$15,840, Taiwanese caregivers usually charge about NT$60,000 per month for around-the-clock personal care for elderly or disabled patients.
The issue has drawn wide public attention after several members of a group who toured a restricted military base with Apache helicopters last month were suspected of illegally employing more than one foreign caregiver.
Controversy over the tour escalated after investigators revealed that several foreign nationals were included in the tour group, including at least four caregivers.
The tour raised concerns about abuse of privilege, as its members included showbiz personality Janet Lee (李蒨蓉) as well as several businesspeople, leading media commentators to brand the group a “socialite’s club.”
Seven Taiwanese in the group are under investigation, after being suspected of illegally employing foreign caregivers through dubious channels and assigning work to caregivers outside of their original contract, such as childcare or household chores.
Chen said the Apache controversy showed a tendency among the “privileged rich” to misuse the services of foreign caregivers.
Workforce Development Agency Director Lai Jia-jen (賴家仁) yesterday said the ministry would conduct an evaluation as requested, but the proposal raises several issues that are difficult to resolve.
A wealth cap might raise concerns about “differential treatment” in applying for foreign caregivers, he said.
“We must consider if [the proposal] is in accordance with fairness and justice,” he said.
He added that the ministry might encounter difficulties in implementing the measure, such as whether the measurement of wealth should be based on personal income or household income.
“In terms of implementation, the proposal would be extremely difficult,” Lai said.
“It would be very easy to evade the measure” even if it were implemented,” he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS