Hong Kong residents may only need utility bill to appeal rejection of application for HK$5,000 voucher scheme as government weighs simpler process
- Government source says appeals procedure may be simplified to allow people to use proof of names and addresses
- About 240,000 people ruled ineligible for HK$5,000 giveaway designed to boost economy damaged by Covid-19 pandemic on residency grounds
People may only have to offer proof of names and addresses that can show their residence in Hong Kong as an option to qualify for the government’s latest pandemic handout of HK$5,000 (US$635) after officials promised to consider simplifying the verification process, the Post has learned.
The authorities acted after almost a quarter of a million applicants were initially rejected because they received evidence that they no longer lived in the city.
About 240,000 people were ruled ineligible for the latest round of consumption vouchers, aimed at boosting an economy hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and crowds flooded a government office on Friday to appeal against the ruling.
But a government source told the Post the administration was considering making the appeals process easier and requiring people only show proof of their names and addresses, such as utility bills, to claim the cash.
At the consumption voucher service centre in Mong Kok, with its three offices and about 40 counters handling inquiries from about 100 people at one stage, a Post reporter observed that most of the questions dealt with disqualification for the consumption vouchers.
The government is expected to hand out the second tranche of e-vouchers on August 7 to about 6.3 million eligible residents, plus 300,000 people eligible for residency, such as people with specialist qualifications, entrepreneurs and students. But people with plans to migrate are disqualified.