The draft bill on the special regulations for the NT$6,000 universal cash handout passed the third reading at the legislature on Feb. 21. Premier Chen Chien-jen said he will expedite the budget so that the cash will reach the hands of people as quickly as possible.
Tsai Chi-chang, Legislative Vice President: “The resolution on the special regulations on strengthening economic and social resilience after the pandemic and sharing economic results with the whole population has passed.”
A draft bill on special regulations on strengthening economic and social resilience after the pandemic and sharing economic results with the whole population, which includes provisions for the NT$6,000 universal cash handout, passed the third reading at the legislature on Feb. 21. Legislators had left four articles to be put to a vote on the same day. The third one involved what some called a "blanket authorization" dispute. The DPP proposed amending it to remove the word "other" and add subsidies for student loans, but legislators still bickered before the vote.
Chiu Hsien-chih, Legislator (NPP): “It's very clear that a wealth exclusion clause should be included in the third article. We shouldn't be throwing money around at those who don't need it.”
Rosalia Wu, Legislator (DPP): “The DPP's version clearly lists the 10 items that the special budget can be used for. Each one is clearly defined. Each one is something Taiwan needs. We're not using policies to buy votes and not granting blanket authorization.”
The TPP caucus said the priority should be eliminating the government's hidden debts and increasing labor and health insurance allocation limits. The KMT called for a universal cash handout of NT$10,000.
William Tseng, Legislator (KMT): “The KMT caucus has been calling for a cash handout of NT$10,000. This won't require borrowing money and is financially feasible.”
The DPP used its legislative majority to pass its version of all four articles. Premier Chen Chien-jen said he will expedite the budget.
Chen Chien-jen, Premier: “We will use the fastest speed for this special budget. Once all the legal procedures are completed, we will try to hand out NT$6,000 in cash to every single person as quickly as possible.”
The Executive Yuan proposed the special budget, which required legislative approval before the universal cash handout could take place. The DPP caucus said the handout will begin in April.
立法院副院長蔡其昌說：「決議，疫後強化經濟與社會韌性及全民共享經濟成果特別條例，制定通過。」
攸關普發現金6000元的《疫後強化經濟與社會韌性及全民共享經濟成果特別條例》草案，在立法院正式三讀通過。不過其實立法院今（21）日在協商保留的4個條文上演表決大戰，其中最受關注的第3條，被質疑有空白授權爭議，雖然民進黨團提出再修正動議刪除「其他」字眼，加入補助學貸部分，朝野仍在表決前攻防。
時代力量立法院黨團總召邱顯智說：「在第3條裡面其實非常清楚，應該要進入這個排富條款，也就是說，根本就不需要照顧的人，不應該用這種大撒幣的方式。」
民進黨立委吳思瑤則說：「民進黨的版本清楚列出，10項特別預算得以使用的項目，每一項都清楚明確，每一項都是台灣所需，不是政策買票，更沒有空白授權。」
民眾黨團則認為，應該優先弭平政府潛藏負債，增加勞健保撥補額度，國民黨團則主張普發現金1萬。
國民黨立法院黨團總召曾銘宗表示：「國民黨團長期主張要發現金1萬元，基本上不需要舉債，財政上就可以因應。」
不過民進黨團在人數優勢下，協商保留的4個條文經過表決、全數通過民進黨團修正動議。行政院長陳建仁則說會盡快提出特別預算案。
行政院長陳建仁說：「會盡快的，以最快的速度，提出這個特別預算案，然後經過所有的法律程序完備以後，我們能夠盡快發放每一位民眾，都有6000元的現金。」
政院提出特別預算案後，還要經過立法院審議，才能普發現金6000元到民眾手上，根據民進黨團預計，預計4月執行。