The
number of babies born in Taiwan surged 16 percent in the nine months to
September after the government offered subsidies to couples in a bid to boost
the island's birth rate, officials said on Sunday.
Tax breaks and subsidies aimed at helping
young couples buy houses were among the incentives offered as Taipei seeks to
raise the island's fertility rate, which is among the world's lowest.
A total of 142,345 babies were born in the
first nine months, an increase of 19,567, or 15.9 percent from the same period
last year, according to statistics released Saturday by the interior ministry.
In September alone, 18,003 babies were born,
or a 21-month high, it said.
The government this year budgeted Tw$2.44
billion ($79.8 million) for subsidies targeted at young married couples.
Authorities have offered other incentives such
as tax reduction, cash gifts and financial help with childcare and fertility
treatment.
The stronger birth rate was also attributed to
parents wanting their babies to be born during the centenary of the republic,
considered a auspicious date by many Taiwanese, interior ministry officials
said.
Taiwan's birth rate had been falling since
2000 when 305,300 babies were born in the Year of Dragon, considered the
luckiest year in the Chinese zodiac and a favourite birth sign for children.
AFP
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