HK$5,000 vouchers: almost 1.55 million register for scheme on first day
- Applications for scheme via website and iAM Smart app opened at 6am on Sunday
- Financial Secretary Paul Chan says interest in vouchers shows scheme has already achieved its stated purpose
Almost 1.55 million Hongkongers signed up for the government’s HK$5,000 (US$644) e-voucher scheme on the first day of registration.
Applications opened at 6am on Sunday, and by the afternoon the wait time for those using the iAM Smart app to register was more than an hour. A queue of more than 320,000 people had built up by that point, but the government said the system was working normally.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday evening the fastest way to apply for the e-vouchers was via online registration, adding that those who signed up within the next two weeks and had their applications verified would receive the handout by August 1.
Earlier, Chan said in his blog that interest in the HK$36 billion consumption voucher scheme, which aims to boost local spending and help accelerate the city’s economic recovery, meant it had achieved its stated purpose, which also included encouraging the use of electronic payments.
“This is the first time we are rolling out consumption vouchers to more than 7 million residents and more than 100,000 businesses,” he wrote on Sunday.
“While some details in the process took some explaining, we have seen business owners take this chance to start using electronic payment methods in their stores.