TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Shopping centers in Taiwan are calling for prolonged validity of the proposed “Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers,” at least until the Lunar New Year next year.
The Lunar New Year, one of the most important holidays in Taiwan, will fall between Jan. 29 and Feb. 6 in 2022.
The Cabinet is still working out the final details of the voucher program, which is expected to be rolled out in September. With only a few months left until the end of the year, officials have hinted they will not expire until sometime in 2022.
Department stores are hoping the validity of the cash certificates can be stretched to the Lunar New Year, as people tend to go on shopping sprees. The retail and dining industries have been among the worst-hit during the pandemic, and hopes are pinned on the vouchers reviving domestic consumption, wrote CNA.
The NT$5,000 (US$180) vouchers will come in digital and physical formats, as was the case in the program last year. Physical certificates will be available in ten checks, but residents will be encouraged to opt for digital forms to reduce contact.
In 2020, a total of 21.51 million people selected paper vouchers, accounting for 92.2%, while merely 1.81 million favored digital methods. Amid COVID concerns, the government is trying to avoid long queues of people claiming the vouchers, as was seen last year.
