Both permanent and non-permanent residents will receive their annual “wealth-sharing” cash handouts starting today, according to a statement by the Financial Service Bureau (DSF) yesterday.
The funds will be disbursed gradually to eligible residents complying with the minimum 183-day residency requirement in Macau in 2024 – new criteria introduced earlier this year.
The “wealth-sharing scheme” was launched by the government in 2008.
The statement said that recipients – including higher education grant beneficiaries, professional allowance recipients, pensioners, disability or social welfare claimants, and those registered for tax refunds via bank transfer – will receive the handouts through automated deposits, while all the others will get their payments via crossed cheques posted to their registered addresses.
According to the statement, the handouts will be distributed in batches, either by bank transfer or by crossed cheque which will be sent in the post. Old-age subsidy beneficiaries will be among the first to receive the handouts today. The last batch will be paid out from August 13.
The government has been paying the handouts out annually since 2008. The amounts of the handouts have been adjusted over the years.
In 2008 the original wealth sharing handout was 5,000 patacas for permanent residents and 3,000 patacas for non-permanent rises, having risen to the 10,000 patacas and 6,000 patacas respectively since 2019.
Residents who meet the eligibility criteria can check their payment method and disbursement status through the their “Macao One Account” e-government app or the scheme’s official website https://www.planocp.gov.mo, with options to update mailing addresses or request cheque reissuance if needed.
The scheme benefits all permanent and non-permanent residents who meet the minimum 183-stay a year requirement, irrespective of place of birth, age and nationality.
The Post published a story about the new criteria on May 30, headlined “Govt revamps wealth-sharing scheme, requires 183-day-minimum-stay”. https://www.macaupostdaily.com/news/25022
This undated poster provided by the Financial Service Bureau (DSF) shows the payment schedule of the government’s annual “wealth-sharing” cash handouts starting today.
