Taiwan's government will hand every person NT$10,000 next year, funded out of the regular budget — good news for households, and a setback for opposition calls to double the payout.

• President Lai Ching-te's cash handout goes into next year's central government budget rather than a separate special bill.
• The opposition KMT and Taipei's mayor want NT$20,000, but lawmakers legally cannot raise spending the cabinet proposes.
• The government says the NT$236 billion cost adds no debt and does not crowd out the rest of the NT$3.6 trillion budget.
• The money comes from a boom: growth hit 14% in the first half, and the full-year forecast was raised to 11% — the best in 39 years.
• Premier Cho Jung-tai framed it as sharing growth with the public rather than spending down the country's wealth.

Outlook: The payout now hinges on how fast the opposition-controlled legislature reviews the budget, with the handout arriving sooner if it sticks to the legal deadline.