COVID-19: TPP calls for stimulus checks, instead of vouchersBy Chen Yun and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers yesterday said that stimulus checks, not the Executive Yuan’s proposed “quintuple stimulus voucher” program, are what Taiwan’s economy needs to recover amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Taiwan People’s Party legislators Lai Hsiang-lin, left, and Jang Chyi-lu hold placards during a news conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday calling on the government to review the effectiveness of last year’s Triple Stimulus Voucher program. Photo: Chen Yun, Taipei TimesA comprehensive and objective review of the Triple Stimulus Voucher program’s effectiveness should be conducted, he said. Checks boost the economy better than vouchers and efficiency should matter to the government, as it has spent NT$679.5 billion of the NT$840 billion COVID-19 relief budget, she said. The government needs to be more generous with relief money, broaden eligibility standards and stop agencies from repackaging pre-pandemic programs as relief measures, she said.

Source: Taipei Times August 10, 2021 15:56 UTC