Taiwan's permanent foreign residents eligible for NT$10,000 cash handouts: Premier

Taipei, Sept. 6 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Saturday that Taiwan's government is preparing to roll out NT$10,000 (US$328) cash handouts for Taiwanese citizens, with permanent foreign residents also eligible to receive the payment.

Speaking with reporters at an event in Taipei, Cho said the Cabinet plans to submit a special budget proposal next week for legislative approval in order to unlock funding authorized under a recently amended special act that includes cash handouts.

The special act is intended to strengthen Taiwan's security infrastructure and provide relief to businesses and individuals expected to be directly and indirectly affected by recently enacted U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese exports.

The amendment to the special act, which raises the funding cap to NT$570 billion, was adopted by the Legislature at the end of August.

The premier said he looked forward to seeing swift passage of the special budget bill once the Legislature begins a new session later this month.

To ensure broad coverage, Cho said, the Cabinet would follow past practices by "extending eligibility to permanent foreign residents," though he did not provide further details.

However, a Cabinet official told CNA later the same day that the government had yet to decide whether the upcoming cash handouts would follow the same eligibility rules as previous distributions.

In 2023, for example, the government allowed not only permanent residents but also foreign residents with Taiwanese spouses, as well as foreign diplomats and their spouses, to receive NT$6,000 cash handouts.