The Cabinet recently approved a special budget of NT$236 billion (US$7.3 billion) for a universal cash handout of NT$10,000 (US$310) per citizen, which could begin as early as late October. Buddhist nun and Hsuan Chuang University religion and culture professor the Venerable Shih Chao-hwei (釋昭慧) has launched a campaign urging people to refuse the handout and instead donate it to the betterment of the nation.

The Kuomintang (KMT) originally proposed the cash disbursement, citing tax over-collection in 2024. A legal basis was formally established for the program on August 29 with the passage of an amendment to the Special Statute on Strengthening the Resilience of the Economy. Shih’s campaign calls on the government to strictly prohibit misappropriation of funds and to provide citizens with the option of donating their handout to a national development fund.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) strongly supported the initiative, noting that the Legislature has passed several money-draining bills, with the Financial Act diverting nearly one-third of central government funding and undermining national development. Fellow DPP legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) added that if the NT$10,000 payments included a donation option, they could be directed to disaster relief, national defense, and other public priorities.

By contrast, KMT legislator Jonathan Lin (林沛祥) argued that the handouts represent a return of excess tax revenue to the people and should not be tied to bailing out the national treasury. KMT legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝衣鳯) lamented that the issue has become politicized, saying citizens already have the option to decline the payout, and that adding a donation mechanism would only complicate the administrative process.