Premier Su Tseng-chang has given a report on a proposed third relief budget at the Legislature. While giving the report Friday, Su said that he wants to allocate an additional NT$210 billion (US$7.13 billion) for COVID-19 relief. The funds will be made available retroactively for the period from January 15, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
Su says that NT$38.3 billion of the proposed budget will go toward fighting COVID-19. This funding will go towards covering vaccine development, border controls, and local prevention efforts, among other programs.
The remaining NT$171.7 billion will go towards economic relief. This includes money for stimulus vouchers, loans, and operating subsidies.
Su says that the government has so far distributed NT$151.9 billion of the first NT$210 billion relief budget. He says that this money has benefitted 13.3 million people and kept 110,000 businesses afloat. The budget also ensured that 900,000 laborers were able to keep their jobs.
Su says that the government’s job throughout this pandemic is to support businesses and keep people healthy.