Taiwan's plan to hand every resident NT$10,000 in cash next year has turned into a political fight, with the ruling party telling Taipei's mayor to pay for a bigger handout himself.

• President Lai Ching-te has promised a NT$10,000 cash payout to every resident next year, funded by a budget surplus rather than new borrowing.
• Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an wants the central government to double it to NT$20,000.
• The DPP fired back that Taipei is sitting on a surplus of more than NT$57.7 billion and can top up the payment on its own instead of pushing the cost upward.
• The money exists because Taiwan's AI boom lifted growth and tax revenue, letting the government raise its income forecast.
• Central funding to local governments is rising sharply next year, which the DPP says leaves cities plenty of room to act.

Outlook: Nobody gets paid until parliament passes the overall budget, so the cash could arrive before Lunar New Year only if that vote clears in January.