Every Announcement of Bailout Programs Looks Like an Attack on Hard-Working Taxpayers

Every Announcement of Bailout Programs Looks Like an Attack on Hard-Working Taxpayers

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

May 6, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

Holding a long billiard cue, Premier Su Tseng-chang pointed to oversized text on the wall behind him, and explained the government's latest bailout program item by item. All workers holding billboards, vendors of magnolia flowers, and farmers and fishermen will receive NT$10,000 per person, with a wealth exclusion clause. We do not remember the number of the sequence for additional recipients of bailouts by the government; this category of measures is like an endless labyrinth with twists and turns. The targets of bailouts seemingly continue to expand, but the overwhelming majority of hard-working laborers are not among them in the end. Every time announcing a bailout program, the government believes it is "benevolent governance", yet it looks like it is attacking honest taxpayers.

Observing the bailouts of other countries this time, many distribute cash to the entire population. For instance, the Trump administration doled out US$1,200 to every adult, a married spouse may receive US$2,400, while dependent children will receive US$500 per person; this is a beneficial and substantive subsidy. In addition, the money will be directly remitted into personal accounts, and the public do not have file applications. Hong Kong, on the other hand, distributes 10,000 Hong Kong dollars to every permanent resident over 18 years of age, but an application must be filed, and disbursements will start in July. Singapore, on the other hand, allocates to citizens over 21 years of age $600 Singapore dollars, equivalent to about NT$12,000, which was remitted to personal accounts in April. Japan originally decided to allocate JP¥300,000 to specific families, but later changed plans, distributing instead to the entire citizenry JP¥100,000 per person, approximately equivalent to NT$28,000.

In contrast to the many conditions attached to the cash allocations twice by our government, the public tired in scrambling for applications, saying they have seen the looks of bureaucrats, while thousands of hard-working laborers were excluded time and again. We can only say that the government has exhausted its calculations on the drawing board, while doing its utmost in enjoying the power of resource distribution, nevertheless forgetting to comfort the vast majority of taxpayers who cooperated with the government in tiding over the pandemic. This is truly an arrogant government lacking warmth.

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