Taipei's mayor may be caught by his own words, as councillors move to turn his call for bigger cash handouts into an actual city policy.

• President Lai Ching-te announced a NT$10,000 cash payout to everyone next year, and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said that was not enough and it should be NT$20,000.
• Nineteen councillors from the DPP and one independent filed a proposal for Taipei to hand its own residents NT$20,000 out of the city's surplus.
• The measure passed its first reading with no opposition and now goes to the finance committee.
• Backers say Chiang cannot demand more money from the central government while refusing to spend Taipei's own leftover funds.
• Even a smaller top-up would count, they say, but the city should at least tell residents how big its surplus is and how much of it can actually be spent.

Outlook: Pressure now shifts to Chiang to either fund a city payout or explain publicly why Taipei's finances cannot cover one.