TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Taiwan's head of government, announced Wednesday (Sept. 3) that the distribution of NT$10,000 (around US$326) cash payments to citizens will commence as early as October. Cho revealed the timeline during an interview with YahooTV's "You Want Reason" (齊有此理), explaining that this ambitious economic initiative aims to support struggling industries and enhance Taiwan's national resilience. The announcement marks a significant development in Taiwan's economic policy amid ongoing regional tensions.
Cho emphasized the critical importance of addressing potential economic challenges and citizen needs proactively, suggesting that peaceful conditions would enable cash distributions without creating financial strain. President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had previously directed Cho to avoid accumulating new government debts during implementation. However, the cash distribution program has resulted in NT$2,998 billion (around US$97.7 billion) general budget debt and NT$1,002 billion (around US$32.6 billion) special budget debt, creating a total debt of NT$4,000 billion (around US$130.3 billion).
Cho addressed ongoing Taiwan-U.S. tariff negotiations, revealing that bilateral talks remain focused on a temporary 20% reciprocal tariff arrangement, with Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) continuing high-level discussions with American officials. The premier clarified that the U.S. has not demanded operational sacrifices from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC, 台積電), the world's largest contract chipmaker. Taiwan's government will provide necessary assistance to affected industries while carefully avoiding direct intervention in private sector business decisions. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$30.7)
