The second batch of the previously announced consumption vouchers will be distributed in phases from Aug. 7, while those who would one day be eligible for permanent residency will also for the first time be entitled to half the amount of HK$5,000 (US$637), the city’s financial secretary announced on Monday.
However, those who have migrated, or have the intention of migrating, will be excluded from the scheme.
In February, the government announced that HK$10,000 worth of electronic consumption vouchers would be distributed to each Hong Kong permanent resident and new arrival from the mainland aged 18 and above this year to boost the COVID-hit economy and promote the development of the digital economy.
Around 6.3 million Hong Kong permanent residents and new arrivals from the mainland who were already registered under last year’s scheme received the first half of the vouchers — HK$5,000 — in April.
Chan announced that the remaining HK$5,000 worth of vouchers for this group, as well as the full HK$10,000 worth of vouchers for newly eligible people this year, will be distributed in phases starting August 7.
He also said that the cut-off date for the age limit is June 13.
Besides the four stored value facilities that are currently used, namely AlipayHK, Octopus, Tap & Go and WeChat Pay HK, the government has also added PayMe and BoC Pay.
The financial secretary said that those who do not wish to switch the stored value facility they are using need not take any action. But those who wish to switch their payment operator or are registering for the first time have to do so online from June 23 to July 23. He added that there is no hurry to register or update information as everyone will receive the vouchers at the same time.
There are also eight service centers — two on Hong Kong Island, three in Kowloon and three in New Territories — for those who prefer not to do so online.
The centers will be open from Monday to Saturday, except public holidays, from 9am to 6pm during the same time period. Those who are going there can make an appointment at 18 5000 in advance.
All eligible people — including new applicants and those who are switching their payment operator — will get the vouchers according to the same timeline.
Those who are receiving HK$5,000 via Octopus will get HK$2,000 on Aug. 7 and the second voucher of HK$2,000 on Oct 1.
When the cumulative total eligible spending has reached HK$4,000, they can get the final voucher of HK$1,000 on the 16th of the following month.
But they have to ensure they reach HK$4,000 by March 31, 2023 as April 16, 2023 is the last date for the disbursement of the final HK$1,000 voucher.
Those who are receiving HK$5,000 via the other five payment methods will get HK$2,000 on Aug. 7 and the second voucher of HK$3,000 on Oct 1. The expiry date for both vouchers is on February 28, 2023.
Those who are receiving HK$10,000 via Octopus will get HK$3,000 on Aug. 7, the second voucher of HK$3,000 on Oct 1 and the third voucher with the same amount on Dec. 1.
When the cumulative total eligible spending has reached HK$9,000, they can get the final voucher of HK$1,000 on the 16th of the following month.
But they have to ensure they reach the HK$9,000 by May 31, 2023 as June 16, 2023 is the final date for the disbursement of the last HK$1,000 voucher.
Those who are receiving HK$10,000 via the other five payment methods will get HK$3,000 on Aug. 7, the second voucher of the same amount on Oct 1 and the final voucher of HK$4,000 on Dec. 1. The expiry date for all vouchers is April 30, 2023.
Details on how one can get the vouchers and where one can use the vouchers remain the same as before.
For the first time, the voucher scheme will also be extended to those who would one day be eligible for permanent residency, but are not PRs yet. They include talents, entrepreneurs, and professionals coming to Hong Kong via various schemes as well as foreign students.
They will receive half the voucher amount, which is HK$5,000.
“In the past few months, we have heard suggestions from the Legislative Council and many different people and organizations in the community suggested to us to include those non-permanent Hong Kong residents into the scheme. Having regard to the regulations of the Immigration Department, we think that by drawing the line, referencing to eventually whether one can be eligible to become a permanent resident is legally the safest [criterion],” said Chan.
“For some people, no matter how long they stay, they would not be able to qualify as permanent residents. For those people, we exclude them.”
Foreign domestic workers are not eligible for permanent residency in Hong Kong, hence they are not included in this group and will not receive the consumption vouchers.
Chan noted the extension to those who would one day be eligible for permanent residency will mean around 300,000 to 350,000 more people will benefit from the scheme.
“We do think that given the affordability, given the overriding objective of stimulating the economy, it would be good to include additional beneficiaries so that we can share the joy of spending the consumption vouchers together,” he said.
While the scheme has been extended to some people, others are now excluded. Specifically, those who have migrated or are planning to do so.
Jessie Wong, the head of the budget and tax policy unit of the Financial Secretary’s Office, said they will look mainly into three factors when examining whether a registrant can meet a requirement of not having permanently departed from Hong Kong or not having such an intention.
These include whether the registrant has been continuously absent from Hong Kong from June 18, 2019, to June 12, 2022.
“If the registrant has been continuously absent during this specified period, which is nearly three years, then we will consider him or her as having permanently left Hong Kong,” she said.
Another factor is whether he or she had submitted a valid claim request for the withdrawal of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) or an occupational retirement scheme benefit before the age of 65 granted due to permanent departure from Hong Kong on or before June 13 (today).
The last factor is whether his or her Hong Kong Identity Card was issued locally or overseas.
Officials did not specify whether a person would be disqualified if they fell under only one factor or if it required a combination of factors, or what other factors they will look at, but they said the registrant is allowed to come forward with evidence to prove that he or she is not planning to leave Hong Kong in order to qualify for the scheme.
They added that they would be doing random checks for all applicants — including those who had already received the first HK$5,000 worth of vouchers — as to whether they have met that requirement.
