《TAIPEI TIMES》 Payments for child-rearing to double by 2022

By Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter

Allowances for raising children are to be double what they are now following planned increases in August and next year, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.

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Parents of children under the age of five are eligible for an allowance of NT$2,500 （US$88.08） per month, which is to be increased by NT$1,000 from August, K-12 Education Administration Deputy Director-General Hsu Li-chuan （許麗娟） told a news conference in Taipei after a meeting at the Executive Yuan.

In August next year, the allowances would be raised by NT$1,500 to NT$5,000 per month, Hsu said.

At least 870,000 people are expected to benefit from the increased payments, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung （潘文忠） said.

Moreover, from August households that receive unpaid parental leave allowances or subsidies for disadvantaged people are to be eligible for child-rearing allowances, the ministry said in a statement.

Parents of children aged two to six enrolled at public, nonprofit or quasi-public kindergartens are to have their monthly tuition reduced by NT$1,000 from August, Hsu said.

Monthly fees at such schools are currently NT$2,500, NT$3,500 and NT$4,500 respectively, she said.

In August next year, the school fees are to be lowered further, by NT$500 per month, she said, adding that parents would pay monthly fees of NT$1,000 at public kindergartens, NT$2,000 at nonprofit kindergartens and NT$3,000 at quasi-public kindergartens.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is to increase the capacity of public childcare facilities for children under the age of two by 9,000 openings through 2024, she said.

By 2024, the Ministry of Education is to increase the number of spots available at public and nonprofit kindergartens for children aged two to six by 55,000, she said.

By 2023, government funding for the care of children aged six or under is to increase by nearly NT$70 billion from 2016 levels, she said.

The government in 2016 invested NT$15.4 billion into such programs, Hsu said.

This year, the two ministries plan to spend a combined NT$55.7 billion, she said.

In 2023, the ministries are expected to jointly budget NT$85 billion to fund related costs, she said.

The policies are to encourage people to marry and have children, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Men-yen （李孟諺） said.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES