The government has announced that employees, the self-employed and companies will receive financial support from the middle of this month, as one of its measures to tackle the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Macau.
The one-off grants for the three groups are among the government’s second round of financial support measures first announced in April which is covered by a 10-billion-pataca ad hoc fund managed by the public Macau Foundation (FM).
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, also the spokesman for the government’s top advisory Executive Council, announced during a press conference on Friday that the government had finished drafting an administrative regulation (by-law) on the issuing of the one-off grants. The administrative regulation was promulgated in the Official Gazette (BO) later that day and took effect the next day – Saturday – when Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong and other officials announced details about the government’s arrangement for issuing the grants during a press conference.
Both permanent and non-permanent residents will benefit from the grants. Non-resident workers and public servants are excluded from the scheme.
Under the support scheme, employees and self-employed residents will receive a one-off grant of 15,000 patacas, while certain groups of self-employed residents who are not registered for the government’s personal income tax – namely wet market stall lessees, street vendors, fisherfolks, tour guides, tricycle riders, and cabbies who rent their taxi – will receive 10,000 patacas.
Companies, as well as self-employed residents who are employing staff, will receive a one-off grant ranging between 50,000 patacas and 200,000 patacas, depending on the number of employees. Those employing one to three workers will receive 50,000 patacas, while those employing at least 21 workers will receive 200,000 patacas.
Companies which do not employ any workers will receive a one-off grant of 15,000 patacas.
The maximum grant that an employer who runs a number of companies can receive is one million patacas.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong addresses Saturday’s press conference at the Macau Business Support Centre (MBSC) in Nape about the government’s issuing of one-off grants for employees, the self-employed and companies. Photo: GCS
