President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) visited temples in Taipei City, New Taipei City, and Keelung this Tuesday to light incense and distribute “blessing bags.”

Lai prayed for Taiwan’s peace and prosperity, good weather, no natural disasters, and lively festival celebrations. He also wished Taiwanese people good luck in the Year of the Horse.

At Bangka Lungshan Temple, President Lai stated the government will continue developing the economy this year and said that he hopes the ruling and opposition parties will work together to better serve the country and its people. He specifically mentioned that the Legislature will pass the special defense budget as soon as possible after reconvening.

At Keelung’s Qing’an Temple, also called the “Matsu Temple,” Lai said the government will continue doing two things to build on the foundation of economic growth of the previous year. First, he mentioned, it will assist small, medium, and micro enterprises in transforming and upgrading to improve competitiveness and continue development. The second thing, Lai explained, includes raising wages and reducing taxes.

Lai detailed the government’s efforts to increase wages for military personnel, public servants, and educators four times in the past 10 years, with a cumulative salary increase of 14%. He also stated the government has introduced a number of tax-cutting policies, which now render 40% to 50% of Taiwanese people exempt from income tax, while the top 1% of high-income earners bear approximately 40% to 50% of the country’s income tax.

President Lai said, “The government uses money to develop the economy and take care of the people. This makes sense.” He continued, “Otherwise, if you say the economy is good and the money is all in the boss’s pocket, it will be meaningless.”