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.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official