Some parents in Taipei are to receive an additional subsidy of NT$5,000 at the birth of their second and third child, the Taipei City Government said on Wednesday, adding that it hoped the measure would increase the city’s dwindling population.
Starting yesterday, the measure raises the one-time subsidy for a second child to NT$25,000 and to NT$30,000 for a third Child, the Taipei Department of Civil Affairs said.
The amendment was passed on Wednesday as part of an effort to reverse the population decline in Taipei and create a symbiotic living circle with New Taipei City and Keelung, the department said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Taipei residents who have moved to the capital from New Taipei City or Keelung after living there for at least 10 months would be eligible to receive the subsidies, it said.
In addition to the increased one-time subsidies, Taipei said it is also increasing its monthly child-rearing benefits.
Starting in August, the benefits would be raised by NT$1,500, so that parents would receive NT$5,000 per month for their first child, NT$6,000 for their second and NT$7,000 for their third, the department said.
The monthly childcare subsidy would be increased from between NT$7,000 and NT$9,000 to between NT$8,500 and NT$10,500, while public and semi-public preschool fees would be capped at NT$3,000 per month, it said.
The increases follow the introduction of several other measures earlier this month by Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), who said the goal was to reverse the city’s declining population.
Taipei Department of Civil Affairs data showed that the city’s population had dropped from 2,704,810 in 2015 to 2,524,393 last year.
Analysts said that soaring housing costs, low wages and a lack of childcare subsidies are some of the factors contributing to the steady decline of Taipei’s population, as residents are moving to less costly areas and those who remain are reluctant to have children.
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