The Government is introducing another package of measures to relieve the pressure caused by inflation on the people -- including a one-off 5,000 patacas subsidy to all permanent residents and 3,000 patacas to non-permanent residents. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, announces these measures when he attended a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly this afternoon to answer legislators’ questions on various issues. He disclosed that the subsidy, estimated to cost the Treasury 2 to 2.3 billion patacas, is expected to be given out in July. Government figures show that there are about 461,000 permanent residents and 66,100 non-permanent residents in Macao. Moreover, the Government would waive inspection fee for all imported or exported live and fresh food, such as vegetable and poultry, to lower operational costs of the business sectors, affecting the eventual retail price. This would cost the Government 12 million patacas. As global agricultural prices are on the rise, the Government plans to provide low-cost storage space for rice importers, to help to lower their costs and eventually the selling price of rice. To ensure a stable supply of rice, the Government would maintain exchanges with the Mainland and other rice exporting countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam. Moreover, to prevent the arbitrary increase in prices, the Government would take initiatives to provide more information on the prices of daily goods to the market and the public. Mr Ho also announced subsidies for families on the waiting list for public housing. At a press conference after the plenary session, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said the Government would continue to adopt different measures to curb inflation. Furthermore, the Government is adjusting the social security system to ensure a secure future for the people, said Mr Tam.
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