New Taipei City gets more money from Taiwan's central government next year but the least per resident of any city, and opposition politicians say the extra cash is being cancelled out by cuts elsewhere.

• New Taipei is Taiwan's most populous city, yet its per-person share of centrally allocated tax revenue ranks bottom nationwide.
• KMT city councillors and candidates call it a numbers game — the central government touts record funding while quietly cutting grants.
• Money that arrives has to plug holes left by trimmed subsidies for metro construction and school electricity bills.
• The complaint is that total resources have not really grown, squeezing big infrastructure projects and welfare spending.
• Critics want the revenue-sharing formula between central and local government reworked.

Outlook: Expect the funding fight to sharpen as New Taipei heads toward local elections, with pressure building to revise how tax revenue is split.