Taiwan's 2027 Budget Would Send About $314 to Every Resident as an 'AI Dividend'

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has proposed setting aside NT$235.7 billion (about $7.4 billion) in the 2027 central government budget to pay every resident NT$10,000 (about $314), framing the cash transfer as an "AI dividend" tied to surging semiconductor and AI-chip demand.

The proposal, announced Aug. 17 at a budget briefing and approved by the cabinet Aug. 20, would mark Taiwan's third universal cash payment in five years, following NT$6,000 handouts in 2023 and NT$10,000 in 2025. Officials say the 2027 outlay is covered by higher projected revenue, with central government receipts raised to NT$3.9266 trillion, and would keep the budget balanced without new borrowing.

Lai, whose administration raised Taiwan's 2026 growth forecast to 11.05%, a 39-year high, credits the surplus to AI-driven orders flowing to TSMC and the broader chip supply chain. He has argued for universality over targeting because, in his telling, those gains have not been felt across services, traditional industries, or small and medium-sized businesses.

The 2025 round covered citizens, foreign permanent residents, and foreign spouses with residence permits; 2027 eligibility rules have not yet been published by the Executive Yuan or DGBAS. The cash is unrestricted, with intended uses including education, elder care, and household expenses.

This is a proposed budget, not enacted law: the plan now goes to the legislature for the deliberation that will set final eligibility and timing.