Residents of Zhutang Township in Changhua County can expect to receive two cash payments this year — NT$10,000 from the central government plus an extra NT$3,000 from the township office — a substantial boost for the area's 13,800 residents.

• Lai Ching-te announced that next year's central government budget will allocate NT$235.7 billion for a universal cash handout of NT$10,000 per person, framed as sharing the "AI dividend" with all citizens.
• The Zhutang Township Office has separately planned a NT$3,000 relief payment for every township resident, at a total cost of about NT$41.4 million.
• Township Mayor Tsai Shuo-jen said the money had already been in the planning stage in July and was not a case of following the central government's lead, citing continually rising prices and the pressure on farmers and businesses.
• Where the money comes from: the township treasury has built up more than NT$300 million in recent years through central government and county government subsidies as well as columbarium revenue, with roughly NT$200 million in usable surplus.
• The township representative council will hold an extraordinary session on the 24th to review the advance payment proposal; the money can only be disbursed once it passes.

Outlook: if the extraordinary session passes the proposal smoothly, the relief payment could be distributed around the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing the combined total to NT$13,000 per person.