TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Cabinet is considering additional spending on defense, welfare benefits, public-sector allowances, and price stabilization in a supplementary budget, CNA reported Wednesday.
The central government budget for 2026 is still under review in the legislature. The Cabinet said it will finalize the supplementary budget after lawmakers complete the review.
Planned spending includes higher payments for elderly farmers, national pension recipients, and six welfare programs. The government also plans to increase professional and supervisory allowances for military personnel, civil servants, and public school teachers.
Professional and supervisory allowances would each rise by NT$2,000 (US$62.09) per month. The increases would require about NT$11.2 billion in additional spending this year.
The monthly allowance for elderly farmers would increase from NT$8,110 to NT$10,000. Income eligibility rules would also be relaxed, while a new adjustment mechanism would take effect when the consumer price index reaches 3%.
More than 530,000 elderly farmers are expected to benefit from the changes. The government estimates they would require an additional NT$12.9 billion this year.
National pension payments would also increase to NT$5,000, benefiting more than 1.76 million people. The program is expected to cost NT$86 billion annually, including NT$16.98 billion from the 2026 supplementary budget.
Another NT$6.59 billion would be used to increase six categories of welfare payments. Recipients include people with disabilities, low-income households, and disadvantaged children and teenagers, UDN reported.
The Cabinet is also considering additional defense spending, though the amount has not been decided. The legislature recently approved a NT$780 billion special defense program, down from the Cabinet's original NT$1.25 trillion proposal.
The Cabinet has separately proposed a NT$210 billion special budget for domestically developed unmanned vehicles. Together, the two programs total NT$990 billion, NT$260 billion less than the Cabinet's original defense proposal.
CNA reported that other ministries may request additional funding before the supplementary budget is finalized. The final amount will depend on completion of the 2026 budget review and further discussions among government agencies.
