Taiwan's central government is handing every citizen NT$10,000 next year, and the fight now is over whether rich cities like Taipei should top it up — good for residents if they do, awkward for Taipei's mayor either way.

• President Lai announced the nationwide payout for next year, funded from extra tax revenue with no new borrowing, framed as sharing the AI boom.
• Chiang Wan-an and others say the handout should be NT$20,000 or NT$30,000, but will not add city money to get there.
• Taipei is the richest city in Taiwan, taking the largest share of shared tax revenue next year and the highest amount per person among the six big cities.
• Taipei runs a surplus almost every year and its accumulated leftover funds could easily cover a NT$20,000 city payout, with debt lower than most peer cities.
• Chiang argues using accumulated surplus means spending savings, though the central government did exactly that in 2023 and Chiayi City did it this year.

Outlook: Pressure on Taipei to match its wealth with a bigger local payout will keep building as more cities hand out cash.