Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday proposed special legislation to provide a legal basis for the government to provide NT$60 billion (US$2 billion) in emergency relief to the nation’s industries affected by an outbreak of COVID-19 in China.
The special funding would be available for 18 months, allowing for the cut-off to coincide with the conclusion of fiscal year 2021, DPP Legislator Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) said.
The funding could be extended with the approval of the Legislative Yuan, Ho said, adding that she hoped all parties would put aside their differences to ensure the speedy passage of the legislation.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The proposed relief plan aims to improve disease prevention efforts and social welfare; provide subsidies to small and medium-sized enterprises; and stimulate the economy.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that the arts and humanities sector should also be supported by the plan, as fears over COVID-19 have greatly affected museums and theaters.
The service industry and other related areas have also been hit hard, Wu said, adding that the government should consider prioritizing the purchase of artwork from those who have been greatly affected.
The legislation stipulates that, if needed, the government could issue small-sum vouchers to help stimulate the economy.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus last week proposed its version of the legislation to approve NT$50 billion in funding to subsidize industries affected by the outbreak.
In the Executive Yuan’s version, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) called for NT$60 billion in funding and a duration of up to one year.
The Cabinet said that it hoped its version would be passed during an Executive Yuan meeting scheduled for Thursday and that it would forward it to the legislature for approval as soon as possible.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
RSS