TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT members suggested on Wednesday the government should use a portion of its NT$528.3 billion (US$16.09 billion) tax surplus to provide each Taiwanese citizen with a NT$10,000 rebate.
KMT Caucus Secretary-General Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) held a press conference with Legislators Lo Chih-chang (羅智強) and Chang Chi-lun (張智倫) to promote the plan, which they labeled “Return the Money to the People 2.0.” KMT Caucus Leader Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) also said he supported the proposal, per CNA.
The finance ministry revised its 2024 tax surplus upward on Monday after reporting a NT$497.2 billion surplus in January. The ministry said the figure was updated to include deferred taxes.
Wang noted that in 2023, under former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) the government provided NT$6,000 rebates to the public after recording a NT$140 billion tax surplus. She said paying each citizen NT$10,000 would leave a substantial part of the surplus for government spending.
Lo said the rebate should be paid as higher prices have made people’s lives harder. He said paying each citizen NT$10,000 would help President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) keep his commitment to ensuring economic growth benefits for all.
The finance ministry responded to the proposal saying it would use the surplus to increase debt repayments. The ministry said any leftover funds would finance future government spending.
Cabinet Spokesperson Li Hui-chih (李慧芝) said the general budget should be dealt with before a rebate is considered. She said Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has been communicating with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) about finalizing the government spending bills.
DPP Caucus Secretary-General Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said the proposal was populist and accused the KMT of attempting to create the impression the central government had pocketed people’s money. She noted the NT$528.3 billion surplus included central and local government tax revenues, so the finance ministry could not allocate it all.
According to finance ministry figures, local governments collected NT$80.2 billion of the NT$528.3 billion tax surplus. Central and local governments jointly collected NT$3.761.9 trillion in tax in 2024.
