DPP legislator proposes making all hotline services free

DPP legislator proposes making all hotline services free

2026-04-17

As fraud cases become more and more common, people are increasingly reaching out to the 165 Anti-Fraud Hotline, with more than 475,000 calls made last year. However, hotlines aren’t always free. Charges differ by carrier and whether the call is made through landlines or mobile services. A DPP legislator says that all hotlines should be free, whether publicly or privately operated. This includes well-known mental health and crisis hotlines such as Teacher Chang Foundation’s 1980 hotline and the1995 Hotline-for-Life. Let’s hear more.

Lin Chun-hsien
Legislator (DPP)
The government should consider also making the Teacher Chang Foundation hotline and Hotline-for-Life free of charge. We’ve already estimated that the Anti-Fraud Hotline would not even cost NT$2 million a year. As for the Hotline-for-Life and Teacher Chang Foundation hotline, the National Communications Commission estimated the cost to be around NT$500,000.

Cheng Shu-hsin
Department of Mental Health, MOHW
Making the hotlines completely free of charge will make people less hesitant to seek help. The only concern is that the services are operated by civic groups and their workforce. That’s something we need to take into account in policymaking.

Lin Ku-ting
Criminal Investigation Bureau, NPA, MOI
Should the Legislative Yuan earmark the budget and get it passed, we’ll think about how we can increase our service capacity and the number of officers.

DPP Legislator Lin Chun-hsien believes that all hotlines in the country should be free, regardless of carrier, with costs covered by the interior and health ministries. However, the latter worry that current manpower may not be sufficient to support the increase in calls, and that the quality of service should also be taken into consideration. It added that apart from the privately operated 1995 and 1980, the government already has a 1925 hotline for mental health support, which is available around the clock and free of charge.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#mentalhealth #hotline #support #welfare #counseling

打165反詐騙專線有收費差異! 綠委籲三大專線全民免費

2026-04-17

隨著詐騙案件層出不窮，不少人會打165反詐騙專線諮詢，去年總計接通數，高達47萬5千多通，不過撥打電話，會根據電信公司收取不同費用，除了市話以及中華電信可免費撥打，其餘都是每分鐘一塊錢，有立委就呼籲，應該要全面免費，同時也包含1980張老師專線或1995生命專線。

[[立委(民) 林俊憲]]
“其實政府應該可以考量給予免費，一個就是張老師專線，一個就是生命線的專線。已估算打詐專線，大概一年預算也不用到兩百萬。另外生命線還有張老師，NCC估算(預算)，大概也差不多五十萬。”

[[衛福部心理健康司副司長鄭淑心]]
“話費全免的話，其實也會讓民眾，就是你在求助的時候，會減少他的猶豫，那只是說，這屬於民間團體的人力，跟服務量能擴充的部分，也是我們在政策要推動的過程裡面要去做思考的。”

[[內政部警政署刑事警察局副局長林故廷]]
“假若我們立法院，我們編列預算，立法院通過了以後，這個服務量能，在整個員警數的部分，我們再來考慮怎麼增加。”

民進黨立委林俊憲認為，都是國家的服務，收費應該要一視同仁，通通免費，並由內政部與衛福部編列預算。只是衛福部擔心全部免費，電話量變更多，目前人力不夠負荷，如何維持服務品質，還得進一步討論，衛福部也強調，除了1995、1980、官方也有成立1925安心專線，是24小時不用收費。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Tien Weng Kuei-yueh
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I started chasing celebrities in middle school, and now I’m 88. Lots of my classmates were doing it. I wrote letters to Hong Kong asking for autographs and we would trade them.

She said that she once traveled from Kaohsiung to a TV station in Taipei just to get autographs. If she couldn’t get them in person, she would write letters asking for them, determined to collect as many as possible.

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I’d take my granddaughter and her mother backstage at places like Xi Xiang Feng and the Blue Sapphire Theater to wait for people like Jody Chiang and Fei Yu-ching to get their autographs. If I saw a celebrity I liked on TV, I’d write a letter asking for one.

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I remember discovering my grandmother’s collection. I have two sisters, and the three of us all chase celebrities, but we follow Korean stars. My mom and my mom’s sister also chase celebrities, so I guess it’s something that can be inherited.

Her collection of over 100 autographed photos is not only this grandmother’s most prized possession, but an interest she shares with her daughters and granddaughters, connecting their family across three generations.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Average mortgage term reaches record duration of 27 years

Soaring housing prices are pushing homebuyers to take on bigger and longer mortgages than ever before. According to government data, the national average mortgage term has hit almost 27 years. In Hsinchu County, the average term is even longer, at almost 30 years. Experts warn that although longer terms offer smaller monthly payments, they end up causing buyers to pay significantly more money in interest. Even so, many people are opting for long-term mortgages, in part also due to Taiwan’s booming stock market.

If you want to buy a house, you have to first save a lot of money. Then, pay monthly mortgage payments. By the time you’ve paid it off in full, you’ll probably be in your 60s.

Homeowner
Paying mortgage
I’ve been paying my mortgage for five years. A 40-year term would be too much, considering interest, so I think 30 years was a better option. Five years ago, the interest rate was 1.8%, but now it’s 2.3%, so I have to pay almost NT$4,000 more every month.

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In Taipei, a home costing NT$60 to NT$70 million is already considered a luxury and would require a down payment of about 70%. That’s quite a big burden for younger people. Extending the term lets them have a bit more money they can use on other investments.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the average payment period for new mortgages in the third quarter of 2025 was 321 installments, or about 26 years and 9 months. That’s the longest average period ever in Taiwan. Besides soaring housing prices and bigger loans, the booming stock market has also motivated borrowers to repay back slowly.

Tseng Ching-teh
Real estate research office project manager
As housing prices continue to rise, 30-year mortgages have become mainstream to reduce the burden of monthly payments. And with the government program of housing loans for young buyers, 40-year mortgages are also an option.

In Taipei, the average mortgage is 25 years and 6 months. But in the remaining five special municipalities, the average is 27 years and more. Hsinchu County has the longest average in Taiwan at 29 years and 6 months. Let’s run the numbers for a NT$10 million mortgage with an interest of 2.5%. Under a 20-year term, the monthly payments would come in at more than NT$50,000. But under a 30-year term, the monthly payment would be just over NT$39,000, that’s over NT$10,000 less every month. But, you’d have to pay 10 extra years, and pay an additional NT$1.5 million in interest.

Tseng Ching-teh
Real estate research office project manager
You can first pay off some of the mortgage principal in advance. It doesn’t have to be a 30-year term meaning you absolutely have to pay for 30 years. Paying it off earlier is beneficial as you can pay less interest.

So, it’s up to buyers to decide. While longer mortgage terms allows for smaller monthly payments, it also means that buying a home becomes a lifelong commitment.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2026-04-17