At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai received a National Development Council report on the government's new population strategy for family support. The premier said that the strategy will transform Taiwan's subsidy-based child care model into one centered on public support, advancing a new approach in which childbearing is not tied to marriage, while promoting gender equality based on shared childrearing responsibilities.
Premier Cho highlighted that Taiwan's economy grew by 8.68% last year, marking the strongest growth in 15 years. As part of the government's efforts to enhance social investment and convert the gains of economic development into tangible support for citizens, families and all generations, the new population strategy focuses on three stages of family life—childbirth, childrearing and education—and addresses five priority areas: (1) ensuring a secure start for families, (2) strengthening child care, (3) increasing investment in education, (4) promoting family-friendly workplaces and (5) easing housing pressures. To this end, it sets out 18 measures to deliver more comprehensive support for families raising children.
To ensure a secure start for families, the premier stated that the government is introducing a monthly subsidy of NT$5,000 (approximately US$159) for each child from birth until age 18. Subsidies for assisted reproduction will also be increased to support families experiencing infertility. To strengthen child care, the government is expanding the capacity of affordable child care services and raising tax deductions for businesses' child care expenses. Meanwhile, to invest more in education, student loan grace periods will be extended by one year, and student loan interest rates will be reduced from 1.775% to 0.775%.
Regarding family-friendly workplaces, the premier said the expanded benefits will include extending maternity leave from eight weeks to 12 weeks. In addition, if both parents take six full months of unpaid parental leave with allowance, each will be eligible for an additional three months of allowances. The government is also incentivizing companies with 200 employees or fewer to adopt a flexible, reduced-hour work system for employees with children aged 12 and under. Finally, to ease housing pressures, 40% of social housing units will be set aside for newlyweds and parents of young children. Families raising children aged zero to six will be eligible to rent these units for up to 12 years and receive expanded rental subsidies.