Taiwan's opposition and ruling party are fighting over how big a cash handout to give every citizen, with the KMT now pushing double what the government planned.

• The KMT wants NT$20,000 per person — NT$10,000 by the end of this year and another NT$10,000 next year — and says it can be paid from extra tax revenue and leftover budget without new debt.
• The KMT insists the plan cuts nothing from defense or social welfare.
• The DPP says the number jumped from NT$10,000 to NT$20,000 only after the Cabinet announced its own "AI dividend" handout, calling it haggling rather than budgeting.
• The DPP argues the Cabinet writes the budget and the legislature only reviews it, warning the opposition against breaking budget law.
• The fight spills into pay: the Cabinet's new budget gives public servants and teachers a 4% raise and adds NT$4,000 a month for soldiers, after refusing to countersign an opposition-passed pay bill it calls unconstitutional.

Outlook: Expect the handout size and the constitutional turf war over who writes the budget to dominate Taiwan's legislature as next year's spending plan moves forward.