A new round of government-issued stimulus vouchers, valued at NT$5,000 (US$179.56) each, will be released to the public as a way of stimulating the nation’s economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, starting Oct. 8, Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) announced on Thursday.
The vouchers will be offered in either print or electronic format to Taiwanese citizens, their foreign or Chinese spouses, holders of Alien Permanent Resident Certificates and diplomats, Su said.
Under the program, vouchers will be distributed from Oct. 8 and be valid through April next year. They can be used at all physical stores, stalls at wet markets and night markets, as well as select e-commerce websites that help domestic small businesses.
They can also be used for payment of school, cram school tuition fees and hotel rooms, as well as shopping at department stores, bookstores and for buying concert and sports tickets, Su said.
However, overseas e-commerce platforms have been excluded from the new stimulus voucher program. The vouchers also cannot be used to buy stocks, cigarette products and gift vouchers, or to pay taxes, traffic tickets, insurance fees and credit card bills.
Beginning Sept. 25, pre-orders of the vouchers in print format can be placed at the kiosks of Taiwan’s four major convenience store chains, or the program’s official Website 5000.gov.tw, after which they will become available for collection from Oct. 8.
Also, reservations for physical vouchers could be made from Oct. 4 through Chunghwa Post’s website or telephone system before they can be collected at all post offices from Oct. 12.
People who opt for digital vouchers can begin binding them to digital payment services on Sept. 22, with the vouchers to become valid starting Oct. 8, according to Su.
In addition to the main voucher program, the government will also issue eight secondary voucher programs targeting different economic sectors that have been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. These are expected to generate NT$200 billion in economic benefits, according to Su.
Meanwhile, the vouchers to be issued in packs of 10 bills were unveiled Thursday. They include three NT$1,000 bills, two NT$500 bills and five NT$200 bills, for a total of NT$5,000.
Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (???) noted that under the program, no change will be offered for purchases made using the vouchers, but if shop keepers are willing to give change for the vouchers to stimulate consumption, they could do so.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel