DDHK. ORG – Hong Kong residents will receive an e-voucher worth HK$3.000. The first wave of disbursement will be carried out on April 16 2023 by the Regional Government Hong Kong Special Administration. Meanwhile, the second installment of HK$2.000 will be paid on 16 July 2023.
Reporting from Chinadailyhk, eligible permanent residents of Hong Kong aged 18 years and over and new arrivals in Hong Kong are not permitted to switch to other stored value payment service providers in receiving the first installment. However, they may switch to another service provider when they receive the second wave.
The Administration Section estimates that around 6,4 million Hong Kong residents, who successfully enrolled in the consumption voucher scheme last year, will get their first installment on April 16.
The first and second batch of electricity consumption vouchers will be valid for six months after disbursement.
"If the account of a person who fulfills the requirements is lost or invalid, the authorities will provide a special channel to change the account number," said Finance Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po at a press conference Friday (10/3/2023).
He emphasized that the distribution of consumption vouchers was to support domestic consumption and strengthen economic recovery.
"Even though the economy is recovering, residents and small and medium businesses are still under great pressure after the COVID-19 pandemic," said the chief financial officer. He added that this year's consumption vouchers will boost the economy by 0,6 percent.
The second objective of the voucher is to promote wider adoption of consumer electronic stored value payment instruments in the domestic economy.
“In 2022, online sales in Hong Kong recorded a growth of 67 percent compared to the previous two years, with a total value of HK$34 billion. Since the launch of the program, six online payment companies have posted an increase of 10 million payment accounts and 190.000 business accounts," he added.
Chan said the consumption voucher scheme was unlikely to become a regular policy initiative, and the possibility of repeating it next year would depend on the government's economic environment and financial situation.
New arrivals to Hong Kong who have entered the city through a different admissions scheme are eligible to receive a HK$2.500 voucher. They will receive the first HK$1.500 and the second HK$1.000 on April 16 and July 16, respectively.
The government estimates that 100.000 non-Hong Kong residents will benefit from this consumption voucher program. [DDHK News]
