Taipei has substantially increased its childbirth and childcare subsidies, good news for the city's new parents but also seen as policy "beef" in Mayor Chiang Wan-an's bid for re-election.

• On top of the existing childbirth incentive payment, mothers will receive an additional NT$30,000 "postpartum meal allowance," bringing the maximum payout for a first child born in Taipei to NT$70,000.
• The city government estimates about 11,000 women who have given birth will benefit each year. Chiang Wan-an said the move came from accompanying his wife through three postpartum confinement periods and knowing how hard it is.
• Eligibility for medical egg-freezing subsidies has been expanded to women aged 25 to 40 whose fertility may be affected by illness or treatment, with the subsidy ceiling raised from NT$32,000 to NT$72,000.
• Other measures include cross-disciplinary joint outpatient clinics for new families, additional points for the shuttle service for pregnant women and new mothers, and the country's first eight-hour free electronic respite-care vouchers for newborns.
• Children aged 2 to 5 attending private preschools will receive an extra NT$5,000 subsidy per semester, further narrowing the tuition gap between public and private institutions.

Outlook: The measures will be rolled out in stages starting in the second half of next year, and other cities and counties are expected to follow suit with their own increases to childbirth subsidies ahead of the election.