‘Small businesses very excited about the e-vouchers’

Liberal Party lawmaker Felix Chung on Monday said the government’s consumption voucher scheme has spurred many small businesses to start using electronic payments.

“We understand that there’s quite a lot of small businesses that didn’t used to do electronic payments but this time it’s very attractive. I mean if you don’t set up electronic payment you just lose opportunities, so they are all welcome and getting pretty excited about this opportunity” he said.

The government announced on Friday that the first of its planned e-vouchers for adult residents would be handed out, in instalments, from August the first.

Registration for the vouchers will open on July 4 and as well as paper forms available from the Post Office and some government offices, people can sign up online or via the government’s iAM Smart app.

Octopus Card users will first receive HK$2,000, another HK$2,000 two months later, and then HK$1,000 several weeks after that. The vouchers can be collected by using Octopus Card readers at MTR stations or in shops, or via the card’s app.

People who receive the vouchers via their AlipayHK, Tap & Go or WeChat Pay HK digital wallets will first get HK$2,000 and then HK$3,000 two months later.

Chung said now that the coronavirus was under control in the SAR, he expected the vouchers to help boost the local economy.