The Macau government announced a series of economic assistance measures on Thursday, with a view to relieving the pressure felt by residents due to the impact of COVID-19.
Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong said that the government will (1) reduce and exempt taxes and fees from companies and residents, (2) launch support and credit bonus plans for SMEs, (3) reinforce measures for the well-being of the population, (4) provide support to families in vulnerable situations, (5) strengthen technical training actions and (6) launch electronic consumer vouchers to boost and accelerate the recovery of the economy.
Lei said the measures will adjust the Profit tax (ICR) and the Personal Income tax, raise the percentage of deduction from the income tax and exempt property tax.
The government will also return the circulation tax on all commercial vehicles that has been paid and will launch support and bonus credit plans for SMEs.
With regard to measures supporting the population, the secretary said that the government will grant Macau permanent residents an extra health voucher, subsidize electricity and water tariffs for 3 months, as well as allocate more months of subsidies to families who receive support from welfare.
Lei also announced the launch of an electronic consumer voucher of 3,000 patacas to be used in restaurants and retail establishments, such as supermarkets and shopping malls.
The secretary ended the announcement of government measures by again making an appeal to all residents to stay in their homes and avoid concentrated areas. He noted that since the health situation in Macau has improved, there are more and more people on the street, which may reverse the combative measures that have been made to prevent COVID-19 from further spreading.
Health authorities also announced on Thursday that another patient from Wuhan — who was hospitalized for contracting the virus — was discharged and sent back to Mainland China.
At the moment, 7 people remain in hospital — 3 from Wuhan and 4 from Macau. This is the third patient from Wuhan who contracted the virus that has been discharged.
