Taipei Mayor Criticized for Demanding Higher Stimulus Payment

Taipei City Councilor Yan Ruo-fang sharply criticized Mayor Chiang Wan-an for his public demand for a 20,000 NT dollar stimulus payment, likening him to a "political infant" who cries for more when not getting his way. Chiang's remarks came after President Lai Ching-te announced a 10,000 NT dollar stimulus for citizens next year, intended to share economic gains.

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Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's sourly shouting for 'universal distribution of 20,000 NT dollars' is just like Huang Kuo-chang of the TPP, acting like a political infant who cries and demands double when he can't get the candy he wants.

Chiang had questioned the 10,000 NT dollar plan, echoing concerns previously voiced by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) when the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) pushed for a similar stimulus in 2025. He asked President Lai if he agreed with the DPP's past characterizations of such proposals as "unconstitutional" and "buying votes."

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The key was that the legislative power overstepped the constitutional boundaries and forcibly increased the executive yuan's budget expenditure.

Yan countered that President Lai's plan is based on a sound fiscal footing, with balanced revenues and expenditures and zero new debt. She contrasted this with the 2025 KMT-TPP proposal, which she argued overstepped legislative boundaries by attempting to increase executive budget expenditures, thus violating fiscal discipline. Yan emphasized that the current plan is an administrative initiative, whereas the previous one was an unconstitutional legislative overreach.

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Chiang Wan-an, who has a legal background and is an elected official, deliberately pretends to be deaf and mute, and steals concepts, which only reveals his own ignorance.

The councilor also accused Chiang of hypocrisy, pointing out that while he demands large sums from the central government, Taipei City's own finances are reportedly not optimistic. She cited a previous instance where the city government cited fiscal constraints when rejecting calls for local stimulus payments. Yan concluded that Chiang's actions demonstrate a double standard, demanding much from the central government while showing little willingness to commit city resources.

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Chiang Wan-an is stingy with every penny when managing Taipei City's hundreds of billions of budgets, and he is unwilling to even allocate substantial resources for local stimulus plans; yet, when facing the central government, he puts on the airs of a generous benefactor.