Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday talked about policy proposals aimed at addressing Taiwan’s low birthrate, including cash handouts for mothers and the expansion of a monthly subsidy program.
Ko told a news conference that, if elected, he would enact a policy to give new mothers NT$100,000 (US$3,106), and NT$50,000 when they are three months pregnant.
Ko said he would also expand the monthly child-rearing subsidies given to parents with children under the age of six, to include children up to the age of 12.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
He would launch a drive to amend “outdated” maternity leave regulations and extend the leave from eight to 14 weeks, in line with international norms, Ko said.
He would establish more public daycare centers that would care for children past normal business hours so that parents would not have to rush to pick up their toddlers during or after work, Ko said, adding that he would also raise the salary for daycare center staff.
He said he would create a Cabinet-level “population development commission” to streamline efforts to tackle the country’s low birthrate.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
He would legalize surrogacy and lift restrictions on donating egg cells, Ko said, not elaborating.
He would instruct the Cabinet to allocate a NT$10 billion fund to push birthrate-related policies and name model cities or countries that introduce policies that are friendly to expectant mothers and parents with young children.
Citing statistics released by the National Development Council, Ko said that Taiwan’s birthrate has trailed its mortality rate since 2020, adding that if the government does not address the problem, Taiwan’s population could be halved by 2070.
In other news, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, yesterday announced that his campaign director would be political commentator Yao Li-ming (姚立明), formerly Ko’s chief campaign director when he was running for Taipei mayor in 2014.
Lai said the choice would help him defeat Ko in the January presidential election.
Lai, who is the DPP’s chairman, said that the party would next week unveil its list of legislator-at-large candidates, and the week after that would announce the name of his running mate.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
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