The Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, today delivered the 2018 Policy Address at the Legislative Assembly, outlined measures to optimise further the five long-term mechanisms covering social security, housing, education, healthcare and talent cultivation.
With “Be pragmatic yet enterprising, and share the fruits of development” as the theme, the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2018 consists of four parts: continue perfecting the five long-term mechanisms for people’s well-being; expedite urban development; continue promoting stable economic development; and deepen public administration reform.
On the five long-term mechanisms for people’s well-being, Mr Chui reiterated that the Government would perfect the comprehensive support and multi-level coverage model; continue improving the five long-term mechanisms for social security, housing, education, healthcare and talent cultivation; and consistently optimise livelihood projects.
On consolidation of the social security system, the Chief Executive said the Non-mandatory Central Provident Fund System would come into effect on 1 January 2018. The Government would adopt a three-pronged approach to perfecting the social security system: develop a two-tier social security system –with social support and social welfare, to facilitate synergy between caring and self-improvement; integrate poverty relief and alleviation; and enhance the fundamental social security network.
Mr Chui said the Government had launched a series of post-typhoon relief measures to help local residents, business operators and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to relieve the hardships faced by people and businesses.
According to findings from the Government’s assessments, the Minimum Subsistence Index was recommended to be maintained at 4,050 patacas from January next year. The Government would continue implementing the Short-term Food Assistance Programme, upgrade the Positive Life Programme and the Community Employment Assistance Scheme to enhance self-reliance of the underprivileged, and continue providing a monthly subsidy of up to 5,000 patacas for eligible low-income, full-time employees.
Mr Chui said the Government has suggested continuing to disburse an extra one month’s financial assistance to families registered with the Social Welfare Bureau, a special subsidy for three categories of disadvantaged families, and a special living allowance through the Social Inclusion Scheme. The Government would continue implementing a rent waiver for public housing tenants, and disburse temporary housing subsidies for eligible families on the waiting list for public housing. The Government would step up caring for the disabled by considering the adoption of the current temporary disability allowance scheme as a long-term measure, and following up regarding amendments to related articles of the Social Security System.
The Government proposed that the pension for next year would remain at 3,450 patacas per month, the old age allowance would increase to 9,000 patacas per month, while the Ordinary Disability Gratuity and Special Disability Gratuity would remain at 8,000 patacas and 16,000 patacas per year, respectively. The Government would continue providing a subsidy of 5,000 per month to eligible employees with disabilities. Employers hiring people with disabilities would be granted a tax deduction of up to 5,000 patacas on profit tax or personal income tax per employee with disabilities.
According to the Chief Executive, the Government proposed continuing the Wealth Partaking Scheme, through offering 9,000 patacas to each permanent resident and 5,400 patacas to each non-permanent resident in 2018. The personal account of every eligible permanent resident of the MSAR would receive a 10,000-pataca initiation allowance from the Government. The Government also proposed continuing to inject an extra sum of 7,000 patacas from the fiscal surplus into the provident fund account of each MSAR resident. A 600-patacas healthcare voucher of would continue being offered to each permanent resident of Macao, with extended validity.
Regarding students from families with financial difficulties, the Government would continue implementing a series of supportive measures, such as disbursing tuition fee subsidies every academic year. The Government would also continue providing tuition fee subsidies for Macao students who study in schools in Guangdong Province, with the coverage expanded to include all cities of the province. Furthermore, the third phase of the Continuing Education Programme would be continued, offering a subsidy of 6,000 patacas per person.
The Chief Executive also said the Government would implement the policy of encouraging more healthy births to increase the fertility rate. The birth allowance under the Social Security Fund would be increased to 5,000 patacas, and both parents can apply.
The Government would continue implementing tax cuts and waivers, including waiver of the first 3,500 patacas of real estate tax for Macao residents, and waiver of real estate stamp duty on the first three million patacas of a home's value for Macao permanent residents purchasing a residential property for the first time. The Government would also provide waivers of stamp duty for auction activities next year, and proposes a reduction or waiver of motor vehicle tax for purchase of a new vehicle to replace one damaged by Typhoon Hato,
In supporting the middle-income group, the Government would continue implementing the 30 percent exemption of personal income tax applicable to all Macao residents, with the basic allowance set at 144,000 patacas, and continue the 60 percent rebate of personal income tax payable by each Macao resident for the current year, subject to a ceiling of 14,000 patacas. The tax rebates would be disbursed in 2019.
Regarding the second long-term mechanism, focusing on housing, Mr Chui said the Government aimed to enhance security of residency and build a liveable city. The process for awarding the contract for compiling Macao Urban Development Master Plan would be completed next year, followed by formulation of the draft plan. The Government would proceed with the zoning plan for the New Urban Zone Area A, on the basis of the overall plan for this area. Furthermore, the Government would complete the formulation of the Medium-to-long-term Plan for Usage and Development of the Waters of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2016-2036).
The Government would continue implementing the public housing policy of "Public housing as the core supplemented by the Home Ownership Scheme". The Legal System for Public Housing has been submitted to the Legislative Assembly for deliberation.
The “post-19,000 units” public housing project has already commenced. The target of constructing 28,000 public housing units in the New Urban Zone Area A would be realised in four phases. At present, the Government was formulating the draft plan for urban conditions in the first phase, involving 7,000 public housing units. The feasibility study on the public housing project on Avenue Wai Long of Taipa was being conducted in four phases. The phase 1 study has been completed, and phase 2 was expected to be finalised by the first quarter of next year. The final report of the study was anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of next year, and the project was provisionally forecast to provide about 6,500 public housing units.
He said the plan for urban conditions at the original power station site has been issued, and the housing project here was forecast to provide 1,000 public housing units. The Government was currently following up regarding the work related to the site on the western stretch of Avenida dos Jogos da Ásia Oriental, Taipa, which would provide an estimated 2,000 public housing units. Application for Home-Ownership Scheme housing was anticipated to be resumed in the coming two years.
While dedicating intensive efforts to constructing public housing units, the Government would also expedite building plan approvals for private residential developments, to foster healthy development of the real estate market.
Regarding the third long-term mechanism, the Chief Executive said the Government placed special emphasis on deepening the building of Macao as a healthy city. The Government would uphold the principle of "Improve medical services and prioritise prevention", based on optimising the primary healthcare services network, to enhance cooperation between the Government, non-profit medical institutions and private medical institutions.
The Chief Executive also said the Government was stepping up efforts to promote the General Guidelines on Design and Construction of Accessibility Facilities in the Macao SAR, to enhance the accessibility of community service facilities. The Government would implement a strategy in response to population ageing, commence measures related to the Ten-year Action Plan for the Provision of Services for the Elderly, and fulfil the medium-term objectives of Macao’s retirement protection mechanism. The Government also planned to launch a support scheme for mobility impaired residents living in old buildings, and develop the Elderly Persons' Social Enterprise Scheme, to help create employment opportunities for senior citizens. Subsidised places in homes for the elderly would be increased to 2,300 next year.
Mr Chui emphasised the strategy of letting Macao thrive through education. The Government would increase allocation in education resources during 2018. As the Tertiary Education System will come into effect next year, the Government was actively following up regarding related laws and regulations, and the formation of a new organisational structure which includes the Tertiary Education Council and the Tertiary Education Fund. Investments in technological research and development would also be increased, to boost cooperation between the industrial, academic and research and development sectors.
On the development of non-tertiary education, the Framework of Formal Education Curriculum by-law and the Requirements for Basic Academic Aptitude of Local Education System by-law will come into effect from the 2019/2020 academic year, to realise scientific curriculum development. The Government would expedite amendments to the laws and regulations on Vocational and Technical Education and Special Education System, to promote diverse development of education.
Regarding the long-term mechanism on “Building Macao with Talent”, Mr Chui said the Government would next year coordinate the launch of youth programmes related to knowledge of national affairs, entrepreneurship and innovation in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, and voluntary poverty alleviation services. The Government would also launch the “Macao Medium-to-long-term Talent Cultivation Plan – Five-year Action Plan”; implement an incentive scheme for talent cultivation and accreditation, to encourage citizens to pursue licences and certification; continue implementing the action plan to motivate return of talent, by encouraging local talents who are currently abroad to consider participating in the development of the Macao SAR; and continue improving the functions of a talent database as a reference for solving the shortage of talented people in various industries.
The Government would also enhance cultivation of talented people in technology, plan to further develop science and engineering education and training, integrate and optimise policies and measures on Portuguese-speaking training to strengthen Macao’s position as a cradle for cultivating talented individuals who are bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese, and enhance the comprehensive quality of tourism education, to establish Macao as a base for tourism education.
Highlights of the policy address also include: implement an electronic health record sharing system; proactively deliver health related messages to the public through new media; strengthen smoking control; perfect food safety inspection; expand the application of tradition Chinese medicine in the community; implement coordination of medical specialist training, assessment and accreditation; and facilitate establishment of the System for Professional Qualification and Licensing for Medical Workers, to cultivate a professional medical services team for Macao.