Government announces details of 2023 Consumption Voucher Scheme Second Instalment
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The Government announced today (May 29) the details of the 2023 Consumption Voucher Scheme Second Instalment.
Existing registrants
Eligible existing registrants were issued with the first instalment voucher on April 16 this year. They will be disbursed with the second instalment vouchers from July 16. Hong Kong permanent residents and new arrivals will be disbursed with $2,000 vouchers, while eligible persons who have come to live in Hong Kong through different admission schemes or to study in Hong Kong will be disbursed with vouchers of half value, i.e. $1,000.
Existing registrants can change the stored value facility account for receiving the second instalment vouchers. Existing registrants who do not want to change the stored value facility account for receiving the second instalment vouchers and other existing registration records are not required to go through any procedure. The Government will make use of their existing registration records to conduct eligibility checking and notify them of the result through SMS notification in early July. If they want to change the stored value facility account, they may refer to the details set out below.
New registrants
New eligible persons and eligible persons who have not registered before will be disbursed with two separate vouchers starting from July 16 and October 16 this year after they have registered. Eligible Hong Kong permanent residents and new arrivals will be disbursed with a total value of $5,000 in vouchers, while eligible persons who have come to live in Hong Kong through different admission schemes or to study in Hong Kong will be disbursed with vouchers of half value, i.e. $2,500.
New eligible persons refer to those aged 18 on or before today (May 29) and fulfil the other relevant eligibility criteria. Details of the eligibility criteria and the total amount of vouchers to be disbursed are set out in Annex I.
Arrangements for new registration or changing stored value facility account
New registrants and those existing registrants who want to change the stored value facility account or other registration records should complete the relevant procedures through the electronic registration portal in the Scheme website (www.consumptionvoucher.gov.hk) or in person at any of the temporary service centres (nine in total) during the registration period from June 5 (Monday) to June 27 (Tuesday). They will receive the relevant results through SMS notifications after about one to two weeks. The addresses and opening hours of the service centres are in Annex II. People may call the hotline 18 5000 to make appointments.
Consumption voucher disbursement timetable
The arrangement for collecting vouchers through different stored value facilities and the coverage of consumption vouchers are the same as the first instalment. The voucher disbursement timetable of AlipayHK, BoC Pay, PayMe from HSBC, Tap & Go and WeChat Pay HK is in Annex III. The schedule for disbursement of vouchers via Octopus is in Annex IV.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, “To consolidate the economic recovery expeditiously, the Government disbursed the first instalment vouchers to about 6.4 million eligible persons in April this year and the process went smoothly. Hong Kong’s retail and catering sectors have exhibited an encouraging recovering trend in the first four months this year and the consumption sentiment has greatly improved. The disbursement of the second instalment vouchers will inject about $13 billion of purchasing power into the market. In tandem with the series of events launched under the ‘Happy Hong Kong’ campaign and the spending season in the summer holidays, I believe it will accelerate the economic recovery. Let’s spend happily and boost the economy together.”