In response to the global economic slowdown, Taiwan will be taking a page out of Japan’s economic playbook and issuing spending vouchers to its citizens in the amount of NT$3600 starting in mid-January. My wife will get one because she’s Taiwanese. My kids will get one because they have dual Taiwanese and American citizenship. I probably won’t.
I’ve lived here for almost 10 years and I pay my taxes from which this voucher money is coming, but I won’t benefit. In fact, before I got married my tax rate was almost 2x that of Taiwanese citizens (20% compared to ~10% for local workers). In other words, foreign workers who contribute twice as much of their income then Taiwanese do to Taiwan will receive no benefit from this plan. 
Of course, the fair way would be to simply offer the vouchers to anyone who paid their taxes last year…but the Taiwanese government has too many “Nationalist Bigots” embedded in the Legislature. On a more positive note, there are some advocate groups trying to help.
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Brian Q. Webb is a multi-medium photography enthusiast from Los Angeles, California but spending most of his time in Taipei, Taiwan. He is especially interested in street photography as well as large format and pinhole photography.
Professionally, he practices traditional and lifestyle portraiture and occasionally acts as an agent for American local newspapers wanting event coverage in Taipei. He was also on the staff of 
i have paid for 2 years too (tax).
3600NT$ can buy me 2 100ft Tri-X + a few Grand Latte.
@SK:
That was actually my plan…a bulk roll of tri-x and chems plus a stop at Starbucks. 
We are going to get the kids bikes with theirs. I don’t know what Carol wants.
Brian, I think you will probably get a voucher if your ARC basis is due to your being married to a Taiwan national. I think you and I should both get one: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/24/2003429393
@Scott: I’m so glad (it looks like) they added non-Chinese foreign spouses. I would have been more angry if they had just expanded the voucher program to included Chinese-only spouses, which was the original idea. That would have taken the measure from nationalism to ethnic bigotry.
Anyway, the measure has yet to pass. We’ll see.