Taiwan to introduce rent subsidies to encourage marriage, childbearing

Taipei, June 20 (CNA) Starting from September, the Taiwan government will offer monthly rent subsidies to single citizens between the ages of 20 and 40, couples who have been married for less than two years, and families with minor children, the Cabinet said Thursday.

The subsidies are aimed at encouraging people to get married and to have children, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said in a Cabinet meeting.

Taiwan's birthrate dropped to an eight-year low in 2018, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

According to government estimates, some 24,000 households will benefit from the monthly rent subsidies, Su said.

Speaking at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Deputy Minister of the Interior Hua Ching-chun（花敬群）said eligibility for the subsidy will vary in the different groups.

For single citizens, they must be 20-40 years old and have an average monthly income that is less than 2.5 times the lowest monthly living index published by their city or county government this year, Hua said.

In Taipei, for example, where the minimum living cost for a single person is NT$16,580 per month, single people 20-40 with an average monthly income of less than NT$41,450 will be eligible for the rent subsidy, he said.

The rent subsidy for eligible single individuals will be NT$4,000 per month for residents of Taipei; NT$3,200 for residents of New Taipei, Taoyuan City, and Hsinchu County; and NT$2,600 for those in other cities and counties, Hua said.

For couples who have been married less than two years and families with at least one child under 18, the terms of eligibility are an average monthly income per household of less than 2.5 times the lowest monthly living index in their city or county of residence, he said.

The monthly subsidy for couples and families will be NT$5,000 in Taipei city; NT$4,000 in New Taipei, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County and Taichung City; NT$3,200 in Tainan; and NT$3,000 in other areas, Hua said.

Applications will open in September, and disbursement of the subsidies will begin in November and continue for a trial period of one year, Hua said.

Only Taiwan citizens will be eligible to apply for the rent subsidies, according to the government.