People who qualify for a COVID bailout can now apply online, but what about those don’t know how to use the internet? Older adults are saying they can’t find their way on the government’s application websites. Some are even paying agents to apply for them, at a rate of NT$3,000 per application.

Tsai Tzu-lang
Civic representative
They have to have a company chop, a personal chop, a business tax bill, and an account number – the whole lot. Some of these people are in their 50s and 60s and don’t even have a computer at home.

COVID bailouts are available now, and due to the pandemic, most programs are taking applications online only. But it’s a hurdle too high to scale for older adults unfamiliar with the internet. According to one complaint, some people are capitalizing on the situation, by charging a fee for submitting an application. The going rate is NT$3,000.

Tsai Tzu-lang
Civic representative
It’s already so difficult to get this bailout of NT$40,000. Now they have to pay NT$3,000 to have someone apply for me. Don’t think that everybody’s minds work the same way. We southerners are very uncomplicated people. We open up shop in the morning and then close it down at night. We sit and chat in between. These people don’t go on the internet.

On the economics ministry’s website, the application forms are placed front and center. Navigating the site is cinch for the internet generation, but it’s been a headache for older adults with low digital literacy. Click to the Downloads Section and there’s a data sheet to read and four forms to complete. For some older would-be applicants, they’re a struggle to get through.

Chung Chia-pin
DPP lawmaker
The applicant has to print the forms out, stamp them, and then take photos of them. As for the various pieces of documentation, the applicant also has to upload photos. This system lets the reviewer receive a large volume of applications at a time. But for applicants with low digital literacy, it’s simply confounding.

And the troubles don’t end there. Farmers and fishermen who received a bailout last year were automatically given another one this year. But many of them are also eligible for a different bailout that’s worth more. To apply, they have to return the bailout that was paid automatically into their account. They have to wire the money back to the issuing agency and submit a letter of consent for bailout cancellation, before being able to apply for a different bailout. It’s all too many steps for many applicants.

Liu Ya-chuan
MOEA Department of Commerce
Right now we are trying to prevent public gatherings. If the epidemic slows down, we will open physical counters to service applicants.

For now at least, online applications are to stay. One lawmaker says the government should recruit young adults to help senior citizens apply, so that the bailout doesn’t become a source of public grievance.