Group urges launch of another round of consumption rewards

[Photo; Melissandres Denize]

The “People’s Alliance for the Construction of Macau” (Aliança de Povo de Instituição de Macau) held their monthly “Community Service Day” Saturday, where they received reports from some shop owners that business has been deteriorating and urged authorities to launch another round of consumption rewards.

Some shop owners reported that the business environment in the district has been worsening, compounded by changes in consumer spending habits. An increasing number of storefronts are vacant, making operations difficult.

Although authorities have repeatedly expressed their intention to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), they have yet to implement sustained, effective measures. Shop owners hope that more attention will be paid to community businesses to boost the local economy.

The group’s advocate legislators Song Pek Kei, Lei Leong Wong, and Chan Lai Kei attended the service day at Alameda da Tranquilidade, along with several members of advisory councils and community officers, who provided consultation services to residents on casework, policies, building management, and other matters.

A volunteer hairdressing team was also on site, offering free haircuts to the elderly. The service teams, together with volunteers, also conducted home visits to underprivileged families.

The service teams noted that over the past year, the government has organized numerous large-scale events and implemented a series of proactive measures to attract tourists, resulting in a steady and orderly economic recovery. However, the impact on community-level economies has remained limited.

Taking the Northern District as an example – a densely populated residential area – its community economy was once vibrant, with various types of businesses catering to residents’ daily needs.

Since the pandemic, changes in consumer habits, coupled with rising operating costs such as labor and rent, have forced many shops to close. Today, numerous street-level storefronts in the district remain vacant, creating a desolate and sluggish atmosphere.

The group pointed out that last year, the government launched two rounds of the weekend consumption rewards campaign, which received broad recognition from all sectors of society during the campaign period and effectively boosted community consumption, stimulated the local economy, and supported SMEs.

The group suggested that, based on market conditions and public needs, authorities should consider launching another round of consumption rewards to promote internal consumer spending, stabilize the community economy, and optimize related mechanisms.

They also recommended enhancing exclusive consumption benefits for the elderly and subsidized care allowances for people with disabilities during the campaign, flexibly adjusting the redemption period of vouchers, simplifying the processes for draws and voucher redemption, and adding fixed universal rewards to increase public participation.