Furloughed workers in the manufacturing and service sectors are to be eligible for subsidies starting next year, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday, as the government announced a series of new policies that are to go into effect from next month.
The ministry’s subsidies would benefit workers in the rubber, metal, electronics, auto parts, machinery and optical products manufacturing sectors, as well as tourism and other service sectors, it said in a news release.
Furloughed workers in the targeted sectors in the first half of next year would be eligible for a subsidy equal to 50 percent of their lost income, defined as the difference between their furlough pay and average salary in the three months before being furloughed, it said.
Photo: CNA
Workforce Development Agency employment services division head Wu Shu-ying (吳淑瑛) said the subsidy is capped at NT$9,200 per month.
Employment figures suggest 8,439 workers would benefit from the measure, Wu added.
Meanwhile, an expansion of the government’s “culture points” program, which provides NT$1,200 in stimulus vouchers to young people to participate in cultural activities, goes into effect next month, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday.
The Young Adult Culture Vouchers program, launched in June to boost spending in the nation’s arts and culture sector, was initially limited to people aged 18 to 21, but from Jan. 20 Taiwanese and foreigners with alien resident certificates aged 16 to 22 would be eligible.
About 1 million to 1.5 million people could benefit from the vouchers, which are to be distributed through a cellphone app, the ministry said.
The points, worth NT$1 each, can be redeemed at participating independent bookstores, music stores, record shops, cultural parks, markets and cinemas screening Taiwanese films, it said.
People who buy books through the program would receive a bonus point for every two points they spend at a participating bookstore, while each purchase of a ticket at a performing arts venue or cinema would earn the buyer 100 additional points, it said.
Among the new policies starting next year is the extension of military conscription to one year, which would affect 9,127 draftees who are to start their service on Jan. 25.
The minimum wage is to increase to NT$183 per hour, and NT$27,470 per month, up from NT$26,400 per month, with labor insurance fees to be adjusted accordingly, government notices said.
The retirement age to qualify for full pension payments is to increase to 64, the notices said.
The cost-of-living portion of tax-exempt income is to rise to NT$202,000, up from NT$196,000, while employer-provided meal deductions in corporate taxes are to increase to NT$3,000 per month, up from NT$2,400, they said.
The tax rules go into effect in May, the notices said.
Social welfare benefits including subsidies for low-income families, national pension payouts and entitlements for elderly farmers are to rise NT$143 to NT$1,190, which would affect about 3.08 million recipients, they said.
The tax exempt portion of gross consolidated income is to be NT$97,000, up from NT$92,000, while standard deductions are to increase to NT$131,000 for each person, up from NT$124,000, they said.
Tax exemptions for rent are to be changed from a standard deduction to an itemized deduction, which increases the theoretical amount of deductions a household can apply for, while the limit on the deductible amount is to rise to NT$180,000, they said.
The amended tax rules would affect tax filings in 2025, the notices said.
Parents who use public childcare facilities are to receive NT$7,000 per month, up from NT$5,500, while those who send their child to a semipublic childcare facility are to receive NT$13,000, up from NT$8,500, they said.
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