Hong Kong consumption vouchers: second instalment coming from July 16, says finance chief Paul Chan, adding long-term scheme ‘difficult’
- Finance chief Paul Chan says more large-scale public activities under ‘Happy Hong Kong’ campaign planned to help latest round of vouchers go further
- He stops short of saying the coming handout will be the last in scheme first launched in 2021 as coronavirus pandemic ravaged economy
Hong Kong residents will receive the second instalment of this year’s consumption vouchers on July 16, the finance minister has said, while again stressing that the scheme, which aims to give the economy a HK$13 billion (US$1.6 billion) spending boost, will not be a regular event.
“The pandemic has come under control this year, and there was a significant increase in tourists after Hong Kong reopened its borders with the rest of the world,” he said.
“We saw a boost in market conditions, especially for the restaurant sector, but retail remained sluggish. External market conditions remain unstable, especially as our exports continue to decline.”
It would be “difficult” to hand out vouchers recurrently over the long term as they were meant to give the economy a boost during extraordinary times such as the pandemic, and now the city was trying to recover, Chan added.
