A Taipei city council proposal to hand every resident NT$20,000 in cash has been put on hold, turning a cash giveaway into a party fight rather than a done deal for residents.

• DPP councillors filed the proposal echoing Mayor Chiang Wan-an's own line that a NT$10,000 handout is not enough and NT$20,000 should be paid out.
• The proposal reached first reading but was shelved after KMT councillor Chin Hui-chu objected, with the council speaker halting it.
• Backers point to Taipei's accumulated budget surplus, which has grown to NT$57.7 billion — enough for over NT$23,000 per registered resident.
• Chiang says the central government can afford handouts because it over-collected taxes, while Taipei would be spending down its savings, so the city has no basis to pay.
• Critics call that a double standard and ask what would get squeezed — elderly care, health insurance, nursing staff — or whether the country would just borrow more.

Outlook: Chiang faces the council today on a separate food-safety report, and the handout fight is expected to dominate the questioning.