Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong said yesterday that the government’s upcoming second 10-billion-pataca financial support plan for this year will be run in a way that makes it “more convenient” for local residents to benefit.
Lei made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the Services Platform Complex for Commercial and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs) in Nam Van after attending a ceremony marking yesterday’s issuance of the central government’s three-billion-yuan bonds in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
The government has still to announce details of its second round of 10-billion-pataca financial support measures and when they will get off the ground. The government has indicated that the second-round measures will cover all local residents.
The Macau government’s first round of 10-billion-pataca financial support measures that were rolled out earlier this year primarily benefited businesses and the local working population, including freelancers. The government has indicated that this year’s second round of its 10-billion-pataca financial support measures will aim to enable all other local residents who were not covered by the first-round measures to also benefit from its COVID-19-induced financial support drive.
The Macau government has also reaffirmed that its second-round measures will only benefit local residents, i.e., non-resident workers (NRWs) will “certainly” not be included.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Lei underlined that the local government is intensively preparing the launch of its second-round 10-billion-pataca financial support measures, such as the drawing-up of their respective administrative regulations and the setting-up of the measures’ respective systems.
Lei reaffirmed that the second-round measures will only benefit local residents. “The money will only be used in Macau and for Macau people,” the policy secretary said.
Lei, who did not specify when the second-round measures will get off the ground, underlined that the government will make the respective announcements once it has decided and finalised their details. Nevertheless, Lei said that the government will decide the second-round measures’ modus operandi in compliance with a principle that will make it “convenient for everyone” to benefit. The measures will also be rolled out in a way that “everyone is accustomed to,” he said.
Lei also said that it will be difficult for the government to roll out financial support measures that “can satisfy everyone”, adding that the government aims to make reasonable use and allocation of its financial resources with the aim of relieving local residents financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing adverse impact on the local economy. Lei underlined that it will be equally important for the government to ensure that it will always have ample financial resources used for boosting the city’s economic recovery in the long term.
Aiming for fireworks on National Day
Meanwhile, Lei also underlined that the local government has always maintained close communication with officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Beijing for its ongoing work asking the central government to allow again the organisation of mainlanders’ tour groups to Macau as long as the special administrative region’s COVID-19 situation remains stable.
In addition, Lei also revealed that the government is aiming to resume its fireworks display on National Day (October 1) this year, with the objective of attracting more visitors and boosting civil society’s confidence in Macau’s economic recovery prospects.
The city’s annual Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, which used to be held from early September through National Day, was cancelled in 2020 and last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong talks to reporters at the Services Platform Complex for Commercial and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs) in Nam Van yesterday. – Photo: GCS
