Taiwan Expands Floor-Area Incentives for Donating Social Housing

Taiwan is offering developers a larger construction incentive in exchange for donating social housing. Under revised rules issued by the Interior Ministry, donated floor area can now qualify for a reward equal to twice the donated amount, while the legal floor-area limit rises to 1.8 times the standard.

The changes apply in 14 counties and cities, including Keelung, Hsinchu, Chiayi, Miaoli, Nantou, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung, Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and Penghu. The policy seeks to draw more land and construction businesses into social-housing projects by making the exchange more attractive.

The amendment also adds the central authority as an eligible recipient. Housing obtained through the incentive scheme will be offered first to families married for no more than two years or families with underage children. The government is therefore linking the programme not only to the number of social-housing units, but also to support for marriage and child-rearing.

The National Land Management Agency said it met with the six special municipalities and the governments of Kinmen and Lienchiang on Aug. 19 to discuss the system. Local governments may revise their own urban-planning rules so the central and local frameworks operate together.

By the end of July, Taiwan had 243,406 social-housing units, according to agency figures. Nine cities and counties are expected to release about 1,000 housing units for families with children this year, with another 10,000 planned over the next three years. The government’s broader goals include reserving 40% of social housing for such families and allowing households raising children aged six or younger to stay for up to 12 years.