Lawmakers call for additional temporary welfare
Two lawmakers have separately asked the government to consider issuing further temporary welfare to help people cope with rising living costs.
Trade unionist Lei Chan U has said the necessities for daily life, such as LPG, gasoline, rice and eggs, have become more expensive in the past three years, with their prices having risen faster than the composite consumer price index.
His organization, the Macau Federation of Trade Unions, has repeatedly called out high vehicle gasoline prices for the delivery trade, criticizing the lack of competition between sellers of the commodity in Macau.
Lei said that despite the government’s several rounds of Covid-19 subsidies that eased residents’ burdens, the cessation of these subsidies had multiplied the effects of inflation on society, especially when in the past three years most working class people were faced with reduced income or even dismissal.
He also cited the International Labour Organization (ILO) that escalating inflation has led to de-facto salary reduction. The scenario has strongly impacted the purchasing power of the middle and lower classes.
The lawmaker said the government still has over MOP4 billion unused from the funds allotted for the MOP10 billion living cost subsidy scheme.
The government has said the unused funds will be banked, should the economy revive.
Women’s federation’s Wong Kit Cheng made a similar suggestion, noting that fruits from the gradually reviving economy will not immediately be reflected in common residents’ accounts. She made a comment similar to the ILO finding, according to local media Macao Daily News.
Living in an economy highly reliant on external income and trade, it is difficult for the city to cope autonomously with its economic challenges, such as high commodity prices, she said.
She suggested the government extend special welfare and stimulus measures to next year, as well as lowering the thresholds for various regular subsidies and drafting subsidy schemes for disadvantaged families.
