Apart from minor incidents at some voucher collection centers, the distribution of consumer vouchers went smoothly yesterday, with almost 21 million people, or more than 91 percent of all eligible recipients, picking up their vouchers at 14,202 locations.
“This figure shows that there’s overwhelming public support for our consumer voucher program,” Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) told a news conference last night in Taipei. “I’d like to urge everyone to please spend extra money when using your vouchers to stimulate the economy.”
Liao said that while a few “errors” had been made by the distribution centers, “they will be covered by the consumer voucher distribution insurance.”
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Deputy Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) said the “errors” Liao referred to were incidents of staffers handing out extra vouchers to recipients.
“We don’t have the number yet, but there are only a few such cases,” Chien said.
Twenty-two consumer vouchers with a face value of NT$500 (US$14) each were reported missing at a distribution station in Guanmiao Township (關廟), Tainan County, after it closed at 5pm. Similar irregularities were reported in other townships.
“We’ll gather reports from townships about problems or irregularities that occurred during distribution and hold a meeting on Thursday to decide how we should deal with each individual case,” Chien said.
The Cabinet spent NT$85.7 billion on the voucher program, which it hopes will boost the slumping retail sector.
Chien touted the voucher program yesterday, saying it would not only benefit the economy, but had also helped police catch wanted criminals.
“So far, 30 people on the wanted list have been arrested as they went to pick up their vouchers,” Chien said.
In addition to Taiwanese nationals with their household registration in Taiwan, nearly 123,000 foreign residents married to Taiwanese citizens, or about 76.6 percent of all eligible foreign spouses, claimed their vouchers yesterday, according to the ministry’s tallies at press time.
While lines were long yesterday, separate counters were opened at collection centers for foreign residents.
Michael Turton, a university English instructor in Taichung, said it took his wife and daughter, both Taiwanese nationals, two hours to get their vouchers, while he did so in only two minutes.
“It was easy, fast and friendly service [for me],” Turton told the Taipei Times.
Those who have yet to collect their consumer vouchers can do so between Feb. 7 and April 30 at the post office listed on their voucher notice.
But despite the long lines of eager residents yesterday, not everyone appreciated the vouchers.
Former Democratic Progressive Party Taoyuan County councilor Wu Pao-yu (吳寶玉) tore up her vouchers in protest. Asked for comment, Taoyuan County officials said there was no law against destroying the vouchers.
Separately, a man surnamed Lee (李) was shown in a news clip on Formosa TV tearing up vouchers he just received.
“This is not a gift from the government, these are debts on our children and grandchildren,” he told reporters.
But Lee then said he had torn off less than 25 percent of the voucher on purpose.
“I’ve checked — you can still use the voucher if the damaged part is less than one-fourth of the voucher,” he said.
Inspired by Lee, an Internet user nicknamed “Lavendersea” called on members of the public upset about the vouchers to tear off a small part of their vouchers in protest.
“If everyone does that, stores and banks will get a bunch of protest-vouchers,” she said.
“Lavendersea” said she was opposed to the vouchers because they are “debts that we will eventually have to pay off.”
At a separate setting, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said Taiwan was the first country in the world to distribute shopping vouchers since the onset of the global economic downturn and that it was a good time to issue them.
Ma said that although NT$3,600 per citizen was not much, it was enough to stimulate domestic consumption and benefit retailers, especially ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
Ma said that several countries were closely watching the voucher program to determine whether they should follow suit with a similar program.
“I consider this a positive example for the world,” he said.
Ma collected the vouchers of all four members of his family yesterday morning, while Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who picked up his vouchers in Taipei, traveled to his hometown of Chiayi City to spend them there.
After claiming his vouchers, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) headed to Taipei’s Jianguo holiday flower market, where he spent two NT$200 vouchers and NT$900 in cash on plants.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the Democratic Progressive Party said she and other Kaohsiung City Government officials would donate their vouchers to civic groups.
Twenty-one Tainan County councilors of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) also said they would donate their vouchers to charity and urged the public to do the same.
National Alliance of Parents Organization chairman Hsieh Kuo-ching (謝國清) urged parents to take the opportunity to teach their children how to spend their vouchers wisely but should not decide for their children.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG AND CNA
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