Dozens of new government measures are to take effect this year, many starting today, such as an increase in the minimum wage, raised tax deductions and exemption thresholds, and the restoration of a one-year conscription period.
The minimum monthly wage is to rise from NT$26,400 to NT$27,470 (US$859 to US$894), while the minimum hourly wage is to increase from NT$176 to NT$183.
Salaries for military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers are also to rise 4 percent, while the research allowance for university professors, associate professors and assistant professors is to increase 15 percent.
Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu City Government
In addition to raising personal tax exemption thresholds, the thresholds for income tax exemption are to include single individuals with an annual income of NT$446,000 or less, dual-income families with an annual income of NT$892,000 or less, dual-income families of four with an annual income of NT$1,086,000 or less and dual-income families with two children aged six or younger with an annual income of NT$1,461,000 or less.
It would also include families with a member who is aged 70 or older and eligible for a special disabled or long-term care deduction, and have an annual income of NT$1,944,500 or less.
The highest allowable tax deduction for rent is to rise from NT$120,000 to NT$180,000.
Infant care subsidies for children younger than two is to rise from NT$5,500 to NT$7,000 for those at public childcare centers and from NT$8,500 to NT$13,000 for those at private centers, while those in low-income and middle-low-income households are to be eligible for an additional NT$2,000, an extra NT$4,000 for low-income and disadvantaged families, and an additional NT$1,000 for a second child and NT$2,000 for a third child.
The national pension’s basic guaranteed payment, and allowance payments for elderly farmers and disadvantaged groups are to increase 7 percent.
The Ministry of Culture’s 1,200 “culture points” — equivalent to NT$1,200 and given to young adults to encourage them to see Taiwanese movies, attend live performances, buy books, visit museums, and purchase cultural and creative products — is to be expanded to include those aged 16 to 22.
Conscription is to be restored to one year for all men born after Jan. 1, 2005.
The Ministry of National Defense said it is expecting to recruit about 9,127 conscripts this year, with the first batch joining on Jan. 25.
An annual tuition subsidy of NT$35,000 is to be provided to students attending private colleges or universities in Taiwan, effective on Feb. 1.
Starting today, foreigners who are highly skilled professionals, top-prize winners in professional disciplines, investment immigration applicants or have made special contributions to Taiwan can apply for permanent residency for their spouses and minor or disabled children.
Foreigners whose Taiwanese spouses have died can apply for residency if they need to care for their underage children, and those who have divorced due to domestic violence can continue their residency, even if they do not have underage children.
The Taipei City Government also announced 16 new measures taking effect today.
They include increasing the salaries for special education teaching assistants, public zookeepers’ risk allowance and subsidies for private residential long-term care facility residents; expanded subsidies for postnuptial and prenatal health checkups; a medical service subsidy plan for underweight infants younger than two; penalties for drivers who fail to meet diesel vehicle inspection requirements; and the installation of traffic enforcement cameras at four intersections in the city.
The childbirth allowance eligibility criteria are to be eased for Taoyuan City, while in Yilan County, the allowance is to be increased from NT$12,000 to NT$13,000. The childbirth allowances for the first, second or third child, or more, are also to be increased in Yunlin and Taitung counties.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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