The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday blamed technical difficulties for disruptions to the distribution of Triple Stimulus Vouchers on the first day of their release, and denied reports that it was halting distributions at the nation’s major convenience store chains.
A surge in demand crashed the computer system, causing significant delays in the vouchers’ distribution, the ministry said.
There were disgruntled crowds at post offices and convenience stores across the nation as transactions lagged, prompting rumors that the ministry had suspended distribution.
Photo: CNA
The service interruption was resolved by 10:30am and most distribution points started working properly after being turned off and on again, the ministry said.
People eventually got their vouchers and it was only the early birds who had to wait in lines.
About 1.4 million paper vouchers had been claimed by 4pm, according to the ministry’s latest tally.
The vouchers, worth NT$3,000, cost NT$1,000. About 790,782 people opted to claim their vouchers at convenience store kiosks, while 691,450 chose post offices. About 1.69 million chose to claim the vouchers digitally.
The government designed the voucher system to maximize the effect of the stimulus, National Central University economics professor Dachrahn Wu (吳大任) told the Taipei Times by the telephone yesterday.
The government “could put in NT$50 billion [US$1.7 billion] in stimulus and get NT$150 billion in economic activity,” Wu said. “But the exact effect would be impossible to measure.”
By making people pay NT$1,000 to purchase NT$3,000 in vouchers, the government is effectively increasing the size of the stimulus, since the vouchers have to be spent by the end of the year, Wu said.
Voucher-only deals and promotions would also encourage people to use the vouchers to treat themselves, rather than spend them on essential items, he added.
The system theoretically gives the economy the biggest boost, but is considerably more complicated to administer, Wu said.
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