Taiwan People's Party (TPP) lawmakers on Sept. 22 unveiled their priority bills for the Legislative Yuan's new session, including income tax cuts, a higher ceiling on government staffing and the legalization of surrogacy. The session, the 11th Legislature's sixth, opens on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and the caucus called on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to follow suit and support the bills, the Liberty Times reported. Health insurance subsidies for senior citizens, reserving traffic fines for road safety, and dedicated acts on school lunches, esports and dignified end-of-life care are also on the list, which CNA reported was presented at a press conference themed on livelihoods, traffic safety, childbirth and dignity.
What tax changes does the caucus want? Chen Chao-tzu, the caucus's deputy convener for the new session, said it would amend the Income Tax Act across five areas: rent, dividends, long-term care, insurance, and marriage and childbirth. Subject to a clause excluding the wealthy, the special deduction for rent would rise from NT$180,000 to NT$250,000. The long-term care deduction would go from NT$180,000 to NT$240,000 a year, the insurance premium cap from NT$24,000 to NT$60,000, and postpartum care centre fees would become an itemized deduction of up to NT$150,000 per person a year. Taxpayers who choose separate taxation of dividends and earnings would move to progressive rates, which Chen said would give effect to the tax's redistributive role.
What did the caucus say on staffing and surrogacy? With overwork among front-line judicial staff drawing attention, Chen said the central government's total staffing law caps front-line posts, and that rather than creating prosecutor assistant posts or relying on a flexible-staffing clause, the law should be amended to genuinely lift that ceiling. A case in Taiwan involving a transnational ring that made babies to order had shocked the public, CNA reported, and Chen said Taiwanese people's need for surrogacy must be recognized, since only legalizing it would end exploitation.
What about school lunches, esports and traffic? TPP legislators said the school lunch act has cleared committee with 10 articles still held for negotiation, and urged the DPP caucus to stop blocking it. They called the esports act a hope for many young people that the caucus would push to a third reading this session. At the same press conference, Hung Yu-hsiang said that although the Central Election Commission had "confiscated" a referendum on traffic fines, the caucus would keep pushing amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act while reviewing average-speed camera enforcement and road design.
