Nantou County councilors on Tuesday last week accused the county government of poor planning after county officials said they had already spent all of the NT$37 million (US$1.27 million) earmarked to subsidize dentures for older residents this year.
The program, which started last year, was supposed to pay a maximum of NT$40,000 each to subsidize dentures for people over 65 who have resided in the county for at least one year, and can provide a note and a quote from their dentist.
However, the county ran out of money just two months into the program. It then raised the program’s budget from NT$20 million to NT$37million, which again proved insufficient.
The program’s suspension prompted accusations of poor planning and lack of foresight from county councilors.
As about 80,000 residents are eligible for the program, the county should have anticipated high demand for the subsidies, said Nantou County Councilor Chang Chih-ming (張志銘) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
“It is the [county] government’s responsibility to make sound budget plans, not this sloppy attitude of spending the money until it runs out,” he said.
DPP Nantou County Councilor Lo Mei-lin (羅美玲) said she had repeatedly cautioned the county government to make better use of its limited resources by prioritizing older residents in lower-income households.
“Eligibility for the subsidies should have been prioritized according to income level,” she said.
Nantou Bureau of Social Services and Labor Administration said it is trying to find additional funds and that the program should resume in the second half of this year, adding that the county government extends its sincere apologies to the residents.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS