Taipa and Coloane Community Service Consultative Council deputy convener Ng Hong Kei quoted Finance Services Bureau (DSF) officials as saying that the latter has so far received 6,380 applications for the government’s financial support plan for local workers, the self-employed and businesses, of which 1,738 have been approved, while about 900 applicants have already received the subsidy.
Ng made the remarks at the Community Integrated Building in Coloane’s Seac Pai Van public housing estate yesterday.
The first round of the financial support plan, which aims to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s lives and the economy, was announced by the government in mid-June and distribution started on August 17.
According to the government, a one-off subsidy of 15,000 patacas was granted to employees who earnt up to 600,000 patacas in 2020 and 2021, including those who were underemployed, laid-off, engaged in part-time work or dismissed during the epidemic, while an assistance payment of at least 15,000 patacas and at most 300,000 patacas was granted to freelancers if their income in 2021 did not exceed 240,000 patacas. Business operators were granted a minimum of 30,000 patacas and a maximum of 500,000 patacas, calculated on the basis of 10 percent of the average of the reported operating costs of the business for the years 2019 to 2021.
Ng spoke to the media at a briefing after the government-appointed council’s closed-door meeting with officials from the Economic and Technology Development Bureau (DSEDT) and Finance Services Bureau about economic assistance measures to mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this year on residents, such as the government’s financial support plan and the 8,000-pataca living allowance that was announced on September 23.
Ng quoted the officials as saying that applicants for the financial support plan must submit all their information on or before March 31 next year, with the hope that all applications could be approved before June 30 next year.
According to both bureaus, the financial support to employers is distributed based on their taxpayer identification number, or their commerce and movable property registration number. Thereby, companies with several taxpayer numbers will be granted the corresponding amounts for each number.
Deadline for using 8,000-pataca living allowance ends on June 30, 2023
Moreover, Ng noted that the government’s 8,000-pataca living allowance will start to be distributed to residents’ registered mobile payment platforms on October 28, once the start-up funds and discount allowance for the government’s recent electronic consumption benefits scheme have been used up. He underlined that the deadline for receiving the living allowance is March 2 next year.
According to the officials from the Economic and Technology Development Bureau who attended yesterday’s meeting, residents holding e-consumption cards must top up their cards for the living allowance on or before April 28 next year, underlining that the latest date of using the 8,000-pataca living allowance is June 30, 2023.
Ng pointed out that the living allowance cannot be used for gambling, medical, banking and insurance services, nor for pawnshop deals either.
Concerns about ‘Arraial in Taipa’ & ‘Arraial in Coloane’ promotions
Meanwhile, during the meeting, fellow council members Lam Ka Chun and Lo Chung Yee urged the government to strengthen its promotion of the “Arraial in Taipa (悠氹仔)” and “Arraial in Coloane (悠路環)” activities by extending and expanding the scope of the activities to different areas, such as Flower City in Taipa in the future, strengthening promotion and publicity at various places, such as border checkpoints.
“Arraial” is Portuguese for street party.
Taipa and Coloane Community Service Consultative Council member Ieong Weng Seng (left) and deputy convener Ng Hong Kei look on during yesterday’s press briefing after the government-appointed council’s closed-door meeting at the Community Integrated Building in Coloane’s Seac Pai Van public housing estate.
– Photo: Yuki Lei
