President Tsai Ing-wen has indicated that there is no definite timeline for issuing another round of stimulus payments of vouchers. Tsai’s announcement comes despite calls for another round of stimulus from some experts.
Economics professor Hsu Chih-Chiang (徐之強) of Taiwan Central University (TCU) has supported another round of stimulus vouchers. He stated that in 2022 household commodity prices jumped up 6%, and that the vouchers may help to slow down growing income inequality. Hsu also estimated that in order to meet Taiwan’s national goal of 2.5% growth in 2023, the economy would require at least NT$40 billion in stimulus.
Meanwhile, Professor Wu Dachrahn (吳大任) also of TCU, stated that while vouchers were helpful to hard-hit industries in 2021, the current situation is not the same. Wu stated that the next major concern for the Taiwanese economy is how to stimulate exports, and that focusing on domestic demand may be a mistake.