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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Waiver mulled so hard-hit can benefit from vouchers
Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） youth representatives throw paper money into the air at a demonstration outside the Executive Yuan yesterday, calling on Premier Su Tseng-chang to issue cash subidies instead of stimulus vouchers. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
By Chien Hui-ju and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） legislators yesterday met with Premier Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌） to finalize details of the proposed “quintuple stimulus voucher” program, including waiving the NT$1,000 purchase price for mid to low-income families, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
The waiver could be extended to 9 million people who have been covered by the COVID-19 relief program, the Executive Yuan said, adding that discussion with lawmakers about the voucher program would continue.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the DPP lawmakers at the meeting were unanimous in not wanting to distribute cash subsidies.
Stimulus vouchers are geared toward stimulating consumption and more broadly, the economy, the source said, adding that the NT$1,000 purchase price was more heatedly discussed.
The DPP attendees were divided over whether the NT$1,000 down payment should be required, as some businesses and individuals have been hard hit, whereas the pandemic’s effects on others have been less pronounced.
A tentative agreement was reached to enlarge the group that would be exempt from paying the purchase price, the source said, adding that Su suggested that the 9 million people who had received relief money be included.
Legislators cautioned the Executive Yuan, saying the matter should be investigated further, as relief funds were granted on an individual basis, not based on family units.
For example, a son or daughter might be eligible for pandemic relief funds, but the retired parents would not be, necessitating that the child spend an additional NT$2,000 so that the parents would receive voucher packets, one legislator said.
The issue could be resolved by using income brackets for the calculations, another legislator at the meeting said, without elaborating.
The source quoted Su as saying at the end of the meeting that the government would move forward with the vouchers, not cash subsidies, and plans to further discuss which groups would be eligible for a purchase price waiver.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
