Originally hailed as a hope for young people in Taiwan to purchase homes, the New Youth Housing Loan Program has recently sparked controversy due to the application thresholds set by public banks. Reports indicate that banks require loan applicants to have an annual income of 1.5 million NTD; otherwise, they will be discouraged from applying. This has left many young homebuyers who meet the government’s criteria feeling deeply disappointed.

Against the backdrop of rising housing prices in Taiwan, the New Youth An Loan should have been an important support for young first-time home buyers. However, according to a report by ETtoday, a 32-year-old man with the surname Lai from Taichung was rejected by a state-owned bank during the application process for the New Youth An Loan, despite meeting the government's requirements, due to "an annual income of less than 1.5 million yuan," which hindered his home buying plans.
This first-time homebuyer invested 12 million yuan in 2022 to purchase a pre-sale property in Taichung, outside the old city area, at a unit price of 470,000 yuan, with a title deed area of 24 ping ( including parking space ). When he recently entered the guarantee stage, the cooperating public bank rejected his loan application on the grounds of "insufficient salary and unsuitable location." This means that even if the New Qing'an loan offers a preferential interest rate of 1.775%, this young man will not be able to enjoy the benefits of this policy.
Mr. Lai expressed his dissatisfaction to the media: "The bank's reason for rejecting me is that my annual salary is less than 1.5 million yuan, and the project I purchased is not within the urban planning scope of Taichung City, so they refused to approve the loan. How many first-time homebuyers who rely on their own efforts can actually meet the annual salary requirement of 1.5 million yuan?"
Notably, according to statistics from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, the average regular salary in the Taichung area in 2023 is only about 690,000 yuan, while the requirements from banks far exceed the local average income level. This phenomenon has raised questions about the actual accessibility of the new youth safety loan policy and reflects the home-buying difficulties faced by young people in Taiwan under the pressure of high housing prices.