New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, yesterday pledged to raise the monthly pension for farmers aged 65 or older to NT$10,000 from NT$7,550.
The subsidy for elderly farmers is adjusted every years, and is to rise to NT$8,080 next year, which would represent an increase of only NT$530 over a four-year period, Hou said.
Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei Times
BETTER SUPPORT
This support for senior farmers is “really low, really low,” Hou said.
While inflation has been a grave concern for everyone in recent years, people working in the agriculture and fisheries industries, especially older farmers, tend to be economically disadvantaged compared with others, Hou said, adding that the government should provide them with better support.
Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), spokesman for the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential nominee, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), said Hou’s proposal was “a political ploy” and an “empty promise.”
Hou did not specify a timeline for his proposal, and only stated that the pension would be increased each year, “leaving people wondering if it will be implemented in four years, eight years, or 10 years,” Chen said.
At present, people 65 or older who have been enrolled in the farmers’ health insurance program for 15 years or more are entitled to a monthly pension of NT$7,550.
On Sept. 14, the Cabinet announced that the monthly pension payout for senior farmers would be raised to NT$8,080 from Jan. 1 next year.
KO OFF TO US
In other news, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is to set out on a four-day trip to the US on Sunday, the party said on Monday.
The visit — which follows a 21-day trip to the US Ko made in April prior to his formal nomination by the party — would be spent entirely in California, and primarily focus on economics, technology and education, it said.
After arriving in San Francisco on Sunday morning, Ko is to attend a San Francisco-Taipei sister city welcoming event and a forum on medical technology investment, it said.
On the second day of the trip, Ko is to tour an educational technology company, visit an area think tank and meet with Taiwanese students, before visiting an energy company and an electric vehicle company on Tuesday next week, it said.
On the final day of his visit, Ko is to travel to Los Angeles for another company visit and attend a launch event for supporters of his campaign in southern California, the TPP said, adding that he is to leave Los Angeles on Thursday next week and arrive in Taiwan the following day.
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