The Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM) submitted on Thursday a proposal to the government concerning the possibility of launching a second 10-billion-pataca financial support plan, suggesting that it should give non-resident workers (NRWs) a 3,000-pataca consumption card.

The proposal triggered a heated debate in civil society. It would be the first time for the government to include Macau’s around 160,000 NRWs in its financial support measures aiming to lessen the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy.

In response to local people’s mostly negative comments on the proposed 3,000-pataca consumption card for NRWs, ACM President Chui Sai Cheong told reporters on Saturday that the proposal was submitted to the Secretariat for Economy and Finance after gathering the views of different sectors and associations, adding that the proposal includes seven basic opinions and 13 other opinions.

Chui made remarks on the sidelines of a function held at the ACM headquarters in Zape.

According to Chui, the first and most critical point in the basic opinions is to distribute cash subsidies to all local residents in an inclusive approach, adding that after considering the government’s desire to enhance the inclusiveness of its possible second financial support plan this year, the proposal suggests that the recipients of this year’s first round of financial support by the government should be allocated between 3,000 patacas and 6,000 patacas each in the second round. In comparison, people who did not benefit from the first plan should receive between 6,000 patacas and 9,000 patacas each, he added.

In the first round, employees will receive 15,000 patacas each on August 16.

The government has still to announce whether it will launch a second round this year.

Chui said the proposal also highlights that small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which have suffered financially since the beginning of this year and failed to benefit from the first plan’s measure of “monetary support plan for workers, self-employed professionals and operators of commercial establishments”, should be able to apply for financial aid in the second plan.

Chui also said that the proposal suggests a one-off financial assistance to be provided for those who were forced to suspend their business during the recent COVID-19 outbreak, while providing additional resources for various financial support measures such as by extending the government’s water subsidy for households and businesses for six months and setting up a temporary subsidy scheme to encourage employers to hire unemployed local residents during COVID-19.

In addition, Chui said, 13 different opinions from various business associations are included in the proposal.

Chui, a member of the Legislative Assembly (AL),  underlined that since Macau’s return to the motherland in 1999 the ACM has actively put forward different suggestions to the government on major issues, adding that the government will study opinions from each business sector and segment of civil society before making a decision. Chui also said that the government may not accept all of the suggestions put forward by the ACM, while some of them may not be entirely acceptable to everyone in society. 

Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM) President Chui Sai Cheong talks to reporters on the sidelines of a function held at the ACM headquarters on Saturday. Photo courtesy of TDM