Township reps in Hualien ask NT$100m as relief fund to distribute NT$2-5K per resident 秀林鄉代會建議公所發紓困金  需逾1億元

The local administration remain optimistic but says the plan must not endanger the financial stability of the township.

Presenter: Hualien County's Xiulin Township Representatives Association is calling on the township office to distribute relief funds of up to NT$5,000 to the town's 15,000 residents. 

Many Xiulin Township residents have lost their jobs and businesses since COVID-19 started and the township's 11 representatives are calling for relief payments of NT$2,000-5,000 per person.

Xiulin Township Resident 1:”I can't find work because of the epidemic. This kind of payment can stimulate the economy and help low-income families and unemployed people.”

Xiulin Township Resident 2:” Are we really getting it? How much are we getting? Everyone's talking about it but no one has any confirmation on the amount.”

The township handed out NT$2,000 per person last year and plans to increase the amount this year. With 15,000 residents, the payments would cost the township over NT$100 million. The township office is optimistic but realistic at the same time.

Xiulin Township Resident 3:” (Did it make a big difference when you got NT$2,000 last year?) No. (Was it too much?) A little.”

Wang Mei-kuei, Xiulin Township Chief:”What's most important is whether we have the funds to go ahead with this without affecting other programs.”

The office says it will submit a proposal to the representatives committee in October and see what its budget will allow. The payments would be distributed next January at the earliest. Of Hualien's 13 townships, Xiulin is the only one able to make this kind of allocation because it gets rebates from Taiwan Cement and Asia Cement.

自從進入疫情警戒開始，秀林鄉街頭就變得冷冷清清，不但店家生意大受影響，許多民眾也都失去工作，因此鄉代會共11名代表建議公所，要發給全鄉民一人兩千到五千元紓困金。

秀林鄉民眾：「因為疫情關係都沒有工作，如果這樣發放也可以振興經濟，然後再來一些低收入戶

甚至一些沒工作的人，可以緩和他們的經濟來源。」

秀林鄉民眾：「到底有沒有那麼多，現在都還在懷疑中，大家每一個人都在說，那個紓困金多少多少這樣子，可是都還沒有定，也都不知道。」

事實上秀林鄉去年才發放過每位鄉民一人兩千元的紓困金，今年要再加碼，共有一萬五千人恐怕要支出一億多元，公所樂觀其成，但也擔心會影響其他財政。

秀林鄉民眾：「（去年拿到兩千元的時候，是不是覺得幫助滿大的？）沒有感覺。（那是太少了？）有一點。」

秀林鄉長 王玫瑰：「最重要是我們的財源，到底能不能夠支應到多少，但是以不影響整個既定的計畫，跟所有規劃的方向為主，所以現在還在研議中。」

公所強調，10月份就會將提案送進代表會，會視預算決定發放多少紓困金，最快明年一月發放，花蓮13鄉鎮，目前只有秀林鄉因為有台泥、亞泥的企業回饋金，所以才能夠編列相關紓困預算。