'Govt unlikely to regularise spending voucher scheme'
Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Monday that it's unlikely that the government will dish out consumption vouchers regularly because of its burden on the public coffers.  He made the remark as he reminded members of the public that the next round of spending vouchers, worth HK$2,000, will be available from July 16 for eligible permanent residents and new immigrants.  The money will be distributed to digital wallets chosen by the applicants, including AlipayHK, BoC Pay, Octopus, PayMe from HSBC, Tap & Go, and WeChat Pay HK.  New applications for the vouchers can be made from June 5 to June 27. Chan said he believes the latest handout, totaling around HK$13 billion, will encourage domestic spending and further boost economic recovery.  However, the financial chief said the government is unlikely to regularise the scheme.  "In the past few years, we have distributed spending vouchers as part of our economic recovery efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The pandemic has now been brought under control and tourists have come back since our borders were reopened," he said.  "The latest round of spending vouchers is aimed at consolidating the economic recovery. Whether we will hand out spending vouchers in the future will depend on the economic and livelihood situation at that time. However, it will be difficult for the programme to become a regular one." The first round of this year's consumption vouchers, worth HK$3,000, was distributed in April.