More than 13,000 foreign diplomatic personnel and Alien Permanent Residence Certificate (APRC) holders are expected to begin benefiting from the Triple Stimulus Voucher program from Monday next week, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
Those who are newly eligible can purchase the vouchers, worth NT$3,000 (US$103.95), at post offices with their APRC or national health insurance card and NT$1,000, or they can transfer the vouchers to a credit card or digital wallet, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said in a report at a Cabinet meeting in Taipei.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would help diplomats acquire their vouchers, the MOEA said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The vouchers are valid through Dec. 31, it said.
National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) at a Cabinet meeting two weeks ago proposed that foreign nationals be made eligible for the program, Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) told a news conference after the Cabinet meeting.
Nearly 97 percent of Taiwanese, or 22.97 million people, have received the vouchers since they were launched on July 15.
APRC holders; those who have made special contributions to the nation; those with specific, high-level skills; foreign diplomats; foreign officials from international organizations or foreign government institutions; and other foreign staff have been added to those eligible for the vouchers.
Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng (林全能) said that the cost of the expanded voucher program is covered by existing funds.
The MOEA expects the program to inject NT$100 billion into the economy.
“We would like to thank foreign nationals before Thanksgiving and Christmas for their contributions to Taiwan and hope that they, too, benefit from the government’s most important stimulus policy this year,” Ting quoted Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) as saying.
When asked about additional stimulus programs following the voucher program, Ting said that the government has no such plans.
However, if such plans are made, the public would be promptly told, he said.
Asked whether the principle of reciprocity was a consideration when changing the voucher eligibility rules, Ting said that the inclusion of foreign diplomats and nationals is a friendly gesture by the government and also to promote Taiwan’s effective measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Some nations have issued subsidies for foreign nationals with work visas, but policies vary from country to country, he said, adding that reciprocity was not a consideration.
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS