Скачать или смотреть Expanded rental subsidy program to open for applications Friday

The Executive Yuan on Thursday held a launch for its expanded rental subsidy program. The NT$30 billion program will take applications starting Friday, and pay out its first subsidies in October. Households are eligible if each member makes no more than three times the lowest cost of living set by local governments. The subsidies are expected to benefit half a million households, up from 120,000.

At a Thursday launch event, Premier Su Tseng-chang touted an expanded rent subsidy program aimed at winning over young families.

Su Tseng-chang
Premier
People with a monthly salary of no more than NT$56,000 are eligible. Previously, if your family rented in Pingtung and you rented in Taipei, only one of you could receive a subsidy. Now, both you and your family can collect a subsidy.

To reduce the financial burden on more families, the Executive Yuan raised its rental subsidy budget from NT$5.7 billion to NT$30 billion. The number of subsidized households is expected to rise from 120,000 to half a million. Rules regarding eligibility have been relaxed. As long as a household’s income is no more than three times the lowest cost of living set by the local government, that household can receive subsidies starting at NT$2,000. In addition, subsidies can be increased by 1.2 to 1.8 times for people 35 and younger, couples who married within the last two years, families with children, or disadvantaged households.

Su Tseng-chang
Premier
Thanks to President Tsai for proposing this policy of housing justice. Even with such a good policy, we are set to make NT$96 billion in debt payments this year, the most in 20 years.

Hsu Kuo-yung
Minister of the interior
Some people may say that this is an election gambit, or that we’re rolling it out now with something special in mind. I say no. This is a major national policy and is a long-term policy. Our government is no longer passive, but active. We will take the initiative to solicit subsidy applications.

The government will work with borough chiefs to let renters know that subsidies are available. Applications will be accepted starting July 1 for a period of two months. Households will be informed of their qualification status in September, and the first payments will go out in October.