The Hong Kong government held a press conference today (13th) to announce the details of the 2022 (second phase) consumer voucher scheme. HK$5,000 consumption coupons will be issued in phases in August. Eligible citizens can collect them as soon as August 7th. Octopus will issue the second phase of HK$2,000 on October 1st. On December 16th, spending over HK$4,000 can get the remaining HK$1,000. The deadline is the end of September next year. This time, BoC Pay and PayMe from HSBC are newly added for the public to choose from. The transfer registration period is from the 23rd of this month to the 23rd of July. After the registration is completed, the payment instruments will not be changed. 8 temporary service centers will provide assistance on the above days. . If citizens do not wish to “transfer”, they do not need to re-register. In addition, the authorities have also added restrictions, and those who leave Hong Kong permanently will not be eligible to receive the second stage of consumption vouchers.
Financial Secretary Chen Maobo revealed that the introduction of consumer vouchers has successfully increased the number of personal electronic payment accounts by 6.65 million and 130,000 business registration accounts. He also pointed out that newly qualified persons, including permanent residents aged 18 or above, as well as those who have come to Hong Kong, professionals and scholars, can register online. At least 18 years old, the above-mentioned persons and Hong Kong residents who are eligible to become permanent residents can also get half-value coupons. In addition, the authorities have added restrictions on departure from Hong Kong. If a citizen has been absent from Hong Kong from June 18, 2019 to the 12th of this month; he has applied for MPF on the grounds of permanent departure from Hong Kong; there is other evidence that the person has no intention of returning to Hong Kong, etc. , will not be able to obtain consumption vouchers, and “reasonable reasons such as overseas study” will continue to be eligible. Newly registered citizens are required to declare their “eligibility” and can withdraw 10,000 yuan in full from August 7. The Octopus will be issued in 4 installments, with the last installment available in mid-February. As for other electronic wallets, it is divided into 3 phases, with a total of HK$10,000 obtained from August 7 to December 1.
The 2022-23 Budget announced the launch of a new round of consumer vouchers scheme to distribute electronic consumer vouchers totalling $10,000 to eligible citizens in installments. The plan is carried out in two phases. In order to alleviate the economic pressure faced by the public due to the fifth wave of the epidemic, the government has used the information from the 2021 Consumer Voucher Scheme to distribute the first phase of $5,000 consumer coupons to regarding 6.3 million citizens on April 7. The number of SVF operators selected to assist in issuing consumer vouchers in the second phase will increase to six, including Alipay Hong Kong, BoC Pay, Octopus, PayMe from HSBC, Tap & Go and WeChat Pay HK. Registration begins mid-year.
