Keelung's mayor says the city can't afford to match Taipei's proposed bigger cash handout, and opponents say that's his own doing.

• Taiwan plans to give every resident NT$10,000 next year, and Taipei's mayor wants the capital to add another NT$20,000.
• Keelung mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang says his city's finances are too tight to follow suit.
• The DPP's local branch says he only pleads poverty after spending freely on double-decker tourist buses, artificial turf, and city-branding deals.
• Critics also note he copied a rival's plan to double seniors' holiday gift money, then added more on top, which they call proof he has no financial plan.
• The city government says senior care spending is budgeted by law and will keep growing.

Outlook: Expect the fight over Keelung's handout to become a central issue in the coming mayoral race.