Taiwan’s Cabinet has met with lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) to discuss the implementation of a stimulus voucher program. The meeting on Monday morning comes after disagreements between Taiwan’s executive branch and ruling party members in the legislature.
Cabinet Spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng says that the COVID-19 outbreak that began in mid-May is now under control. He says the Cabinet has been laying out plans for consumer relief programs to offset the disease’s economic impact.
Initially, the Cabinet wanted to implement what it calls “quintuple stimulus vouchers,” where people exchanged a set amount of money for consumer vouchers with five times the value. People could then use those vouchers at restaurants, hotels, retailers, and small businesses, with the goal of resuscitating Taiwan’s economy in the short-term.
However, over the weekend, DPP lawmakers spoke out against the plan and urged the Cabinet to simply distribute the vouchers without requiring people to pay for them.
Lo says that 45 DPP lawmakers attended Monday’s meeting, and after two hours of discussion, the two sides reached a consensus on stimulus voucher rollout. Premier Su Tseng-chang says the government will now shoulder the cost of the stimulus vouchers on behalf of the people. That means people will not have to pay for the vouchers, as previously announced.