TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Legislative Caucus Convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) on Tuesday called on the government to distribute NT$20,000 (US$626) to every citizen this year.
Speaking ahead of the opening of the new legislative session, Fu said the KMT caucus had designated a special act authorizing the payments as a priority bill, per UDN. He said the caucus would propose a separate plan for next year's payout in the second half of 2027.
Fu said the government had collected NT$600 billion to NT$700 billion more than expected by the end of August and projected that the full-year tax surplus would exceed NT$1 trillion. He attributed the increase to strong technology exports and foreign investment driven by the global AI boom.
Fu said the government collected NT$528.3 billion more than expected last year, of which about NT$230 billion was returned to the public through NT$10,000 cash payments to each citizen, UDN reported. With this year's surplus expected to exceed NT$1 trillion, he said allocating 40% would provide about NT$400 billion to fund the proposed NT$20,000 payout.
Fu said the proposal would not conflict with the Cabinet's proposed NT$600 billion supplementary budget, which he described as the largest in Taiwan's history, according to UDN. He argued that the government could fund the payments from excess tax revenue without borrowing and should distribute the money as soon as possible.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced in August that the NT$10,000 payment would be included in the proposed 2027 central government budget. Fu argued that the government should distribute this year's tax surplus in 2026, not 2027.
Fu said Taiwan's economy grew 5% in 2025 and that the Ministry of Economic Affairs had indicated growth this year would approach 12%, according to UDN. He predicted that the tax surplus could exceed NT$2 trillion in 2027.
When asked by reporters whether a NT$20,000 cash payout to every citizen was possible, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said, “We can distribute the fruits of our own efforts, but we absolutely must not leave the debts of our generation to the next generation," per SET News.
The Cabinet’s proposed 2027 central budget includes NT$235.7 billion for a NT$10,000 payment to every citizen, with the allocation designed to avoid additional borrowing. The Legislative Yuan is still reviewing the budget.
Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said Friday cash handouts must not increase government debt, displace other public spending, or breach legal and constitutional procedures, per CNA. Lee added that the Constitution and the Budget Act prohibit the Legislative Yuan from proposing expenditure increases in a budget bill submitted by the Cabinet.
