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Finance minister announces major tax relief measures
Discover how Taiwan’s new tax exemptions for single renters and families aim to ease financial pressures, with insights on the latest income tax system updates and House Tax 2.0 policy changes.
2024/08/20 14:40
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Taiwan sets record defense budget for 2025
Discover the details of Taiwan’s record-setting 2025 budget, including a historic defense budget of NT$647 billion, as President Lai emphasizes strengthening self-defense and democratic partnerships for peace and prosperity. Learn about the budget’s focus on social welfare, education, and economic development, alongside initiatives for long-term care, child care, net zero goals, anti-fraud measures, and housing solutions.
2024/08/07 15:27
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Hou Yu-ih lists DPP’s ’top ten’ policy failures in 8 years
The Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate, Hou Yu-ih, listed the ten major policy failures of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during a livestream presidential debate. These failures include ineffective energy policies, food safety violations, deteriorated public security, debt burdening future generations, critical issues in people’s livelihoods, housing injustice, rising cross-strait military threats, plummeting wages, skyrocketing house prices, and ineffective pandemic responses. Hou elaborated on specific examples such as solar power corruption, tainted food black market dealings, overspending on "forward-looking" infrastructures, a lack of electricity and water, regulatory failure in the National Communications Commission (NCC), failed social housing policies, the threatening potential of military conflict, income inequality at a ten-year high, and around 20,000 deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hou expressed regret over his opponent, DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te’s campaign methods, accusing him of slander and displaying incompetence and unscrupulousness. Hou confirmed his opposition to Taiwanese independence while claiming that Lai advocated for it. He also criticized former Taipei Mayor and current Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je for not responding to this issue. Hou emphasized his lifelong pledge to remain loyal to the Republic of China’s flag and safeguard Taiwan’s democratic freedom.
2023/12/30 15:47
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DPP candidate outlines vision for expanding public housing
DPP Presidential candidate Lai Ching-te proposes using 5% of land in New Taipei City’s Wen Tzu-tsun redevelopment area to build 10,000 public housing units, surpassing his KMT contender’s plan of 2,100 units. Lai suggests that if local officials are unable to implement his suggestions, they can sell the land back to the government for construction. He also aims to exceed the 200,000-unit goal set by President Tsai Ing-wen, with plans for over 130,000 additional units and an increase of 170,000 units through trustee management, ultimately reaching a 300,000-unit goal. Lai suggests that non-special municipalities offer 3% of land area for public housing, while special municipalities offer 5% during urban land redesignation or district expropriation.
2023/12/26 22:09
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Lai Ching-te slams KMT rival over ’housing disinformation’
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te criticizes Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Hou Yu-ih for spreading disinformation about social housing developments. Lai responds to accusations made during the second Central Election Committee (CEC) policy presentation by stating that his administration had plans for over 200 social housing units, currently under construction in Tainan. Lai also highlights his establishment of the National Housing and Urban Regeneration Center (HURC) during his time as Premier, which has aided in social housing development. He credits President Tsai Ing-wen for surpassing local governments in the construction of social housing, thanks to the HURC’s establishment.
2023/12/26 20:14
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Gov’t set to surpass social housing goal by 107% next year
The National Property Administration (NPA) in Taipei expects to exceed its goal of 200,000 social housing units by next year by 107 percent. Currently, there are already 94,023 social housing units completed or under construction, surpassing this year’s target of 20,000 units. The NPA provides rental housing matchmaking services to socioeconomically disadvantaged groups using private residential resources and professional management. Additionally, the NPA has proposed a new housing policy goal for 2025-2032, aiming to establish 250,000 direct social housing units, 250,000 units under rental management, and 500,000 units with rent subsidies. The NPA plans to implement more comprehensive housing policies to address the housing needs of different groups and alleviate the public’s housing burden.
2023/12/21 17:50
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KMT’s Jaw answers students’ ’1992 Consensus’ questions
KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong challenges the narrative of the "1992 Consensus," stating it was not used during cross-strait negotiations. He explains that the parties involved articulated their positions orally with no unified expression, and it was later that Su Chi introduced the term. Jaw also addresses the DPP’s stance on the "One China" policy, stating that the DPP urges Beijing to acknowledge "One China" as the Republic of China, a recognition unlikely from Beijing. He critiques the DPP’s performance over their 8-year tenure and suggests that the electorate could express dissatisfaction by transferring power to the KMT. Jaw acknowledges the contributions of Taiwanese businesses to China’s economic development and asserts that Taiwan could demand economic concessions from China. He questions the need for increased defense spending and extended conscription in Taiwan in the absence of an immediate threat, stating that conflict between the two sides should and must not occur.
2023/12/20 11:05
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Ko Wen-je criticizes rivals’ housing loan policies
Taiwan People’s Party presidential candidate Ko Wen-je criticizes the housing loan policies proposed by Kuomintang candidate Hou Yu-ih and Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-te, deeming their focuses misplaced. Ko mocks Hou’s no-down-payment plan as a deferred payment scheme and questions Lai’s policy of extending the maximum loan period. He also dismisses Lai’s implications of corruption issues and counters with a list of Democratic Progressive Party corruption cases. Ko takes a dig at Lai over an illegal structure in his hometown, which has become a popular check-in spot online. In response to President Tsai Ing-wen’s sarcastic retort about stability, Ko acknowledges Tsai’s success in maintaining strong Taiwan-U.S. relations but disagrees with her domestic policies on cross-strait relations. Recently, Ko was seen replacing his original KP pin with the flag of the Republic of China, interpreted as an attempt to court the deep-blue vote. Ko clarifies that he simply received a batch of national flag pins and put one on, emphasizing that Taiwan is not owned by the Democratic Progressive Party and the national flag is not exclusive to the Kuomintang.
2023/12/18 21:22
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Taiwan Central Bank holds interest rate steady for 3rd time
Taiwan’s central bank has announced that it will maintain its interest rate for the third consecutive time in its quarterly board meeting. The decision was influenced by price changes and the need to balance stabilizing consumer prices with sustaining economic growth. Despite rising consumer prices due to natural disasters, the central bank remains optimistic and expects the inflation rate to drop below 2% next year. Forecasts for Taiwan’s GDP growth rate in 2023 are more positive, projected to reach 3.12%. This is supported by increasing private consumption, particularly in tourism and dining, as well as the central bank’s expectation of a global export increase to stimulate local investment and drive economic recovery. In contrast to the Federal Reserve in the U.S., Taiwan’s central bank stated that its monetary policy approach would be adjusted gradually based on the country’s economic conditions. Despite high housing prices, the central bank has decided against imposing stricter measures or withdrawing from market intervention to avoid further impact on the property market.
2023/12/15 16:31
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DPP’s Lai-Hsiao lead shrinks, KMT’s Hou-Jaw close behind
A new poll by My Formosa reveals that support for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Lai-Hsiao ticket has decreased to 37.8%, while the Kuomintang’s (KMT) Hou-Kang ticket is close behind at 32.6%. The Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) Ko-Ying ticket has seen an increase in support, rising to 17.3%. The poll reflects public concern over Lai Ching-te’s alleged illegal building and potential tax evasion issues, which he has addressed emotionally in public and during TV interviews. In contrast, Hou Yu-ih’s housing policy, which aims to eliminate down payments for young homebuyers, has sparked significant social debate. This poll is part of an extended series of surveys conducted from July 17, 2023, to Jan. 12, 2024, with each wave occurring every three days. The sampling process involved the use of landline numbers from Chunghwa Telecom’s residential phonebook, employing stratified random sampling matched by proportional allocation, and incorporating a technique to randomly substitute the last two digits to avoid excluding unregistered numbers. The poll reached 1,201 respondents, achieving a 95% confidence level with a maximum sampling error of ±2.8%.
2023/12/09 15:00
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Hou Yu-ih announces new housing policy for young buyers
Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih has unveiled a new housing policy aimed at helping young people in Taiwan purchase their first homes. The initiative is targeted at individuals under 40 years old who have never owned property and face income restrictions. Under the plan, qualified buyers can receive a loan of up to NT$15 million with no down payment required. They will also enjoy a 0.5% subsidy on their mortgage interest rates, with public banks cutting the rates in half after five years. The policy will last for five years and includes restrictions on reselling the purchased properties for a maximum of ten years to address housing market speculation concerns. Hou criticized the current New Residential Loans Policy for its lack of age and income restrictions, allowing affluent individuals to benefit and non-first-time buyers to take advantage of policy perks. The plan aims to ensure fairness and accessibility for those in genuine need of support in purchasing their first homes.
2023/12/08 17:48
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DPP’s Hsiao counters Ko’s critique on education subsidies
DPP vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim refutes criticisms made by TPP candidate Ko Wen-je regarding the government’s handling of challenges faced by youths. Hsiao emphasizes the DPP’s efforts in tackling issues such as educational expenses, employment, and housing costs. She argues that these problems are not unique to Taiwan and require multifaceted solutions. Hsiao highlights that the current subsidy programs are a result of Taiwan’s robust national fiscal system and the outstanding international performance of domestic industries. She further asserts the need to distribute wealth effectively through policy measures and affirms the government’s commitment to alleviating financial pressures on young people.
2023/12/05 21:57
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Youth groups urge candidates to address youth issues
The Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy (TYAD) calls on presidential candidates to address youth concerns in their "2024 Youth Policy White Paper." Key issues include national defense, voting age, housing, traffic safety, work conditions, and mental health. TYAD seeks direct responses from candidates.
2023/10/25 17:42
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Hou proposes new childbirth policies and subsidies
KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih has unveiled a new childbirth policy aimed at tackling Taiwan’s low-birthrate crisis. The policy includes subsidies for child-rearing, egg freezing, and housing, as well as increased maternity and unpaid leave allowances.
2023/09/25 19:29