Taiwan’s traditional and night markets are offering some tempting new deals, but only for consumers using their Triple Stimulus Vouchers.
A total of 800 vendors at 140 participating traditional and night markets are taking part in the government’s voucher scheme, aiming to attract people to treat themselves after the program starts on Wednesday next week, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) Central Region Office said yesterday.
A variety of goodie bags and bargain meals are to be available for NT$200 or NT$500 (US$6.76 or US$16.89) — the value of the paper vouchers — plus a chance to win a NT$2,000 coupon in prize draws for 6,300 winners, the office said.
Photo: CNA
Typical offerings include pickles, braised meats, jerky, dumplings and other traditional treats, with the market value of every bag exceeding the purchase price, the office said, adding that the promotion would run until Aug. 31.
“Traditional markets and night markets are a way of life for Taiwanese. Now they can get the most out of their Triple Stimulus Vouchers while supporting their local economy,” Hung Kuo-chueh (洪國爵), head of the office’s fourth section, told a news conference in Taipei.
The ministry’s latest tally showed that more than 10 million people have signed up for the voucher program, with 85 percent of them opting for the physical vouchers, which were mostly bought at convenience stores.
The number of digital claims is well below government expectations. Most digital purchasers linked the vouchers to their credit card, followed by mobile payment platforms such as Line Pay, the ministry said.
Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said in a morning interview with radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) that he expects as many as 17 million people to join the voucher program.
While business in traditional markets has been dire due to the pandemic, most vendors have found a way to survive, said Tsai Ling-chin (蔡鈴欽), president of the vendors’ association at Jianguo Market (建國市場) in Taichung.
“With the help of the MOEA, we made improvements to our markets while business was slow,” Tsai said. “We had to tighten our belts to get by, but things are almost back to normal now.”
While some markets, such as Taipei’s Nanmen Market (南門市場) and Monga Night Market (艋舺夜市), accept digital payment methods like EasyCard, Apple Pay and Line Pay, many traditional markets in Taiwan still only accept physical payments.
“It’s what people are used to and change takes time,” Tsai said.
There are more than 1,000 traditional and night markets across the nation, Central Region Office Director Kuo Kum-ming (郭坤明) said.
The ministry has spent NT$400 million to COVID-proof those markets, including putting up acrylic dividers, improving general sanitation and upgrading drains, Kuo said.
Eyeing the extra purchasing power, many firms have come up with promotions to target voucher-induced business opportunities, while National Central University economics professor Dachran Wu (吳大任) said that the program is aimed to encourage people to spend rather than save.
“We don’t want to give people money they can save. By making people buy vouchers that expire by the end of the year, we’re hoping to put the money into the economy,” Wu said.
However, some thrifty people would inevitably find a way around the government’s intention, he said.
The government is expecting the voucher program to generate a multiplier effect of two-to-three times the size of the stimulus in the actual economy.
“Time will tell, but a one-time stimulus is generally not very effective,” Wu said.
SCHEDULE: The delegation is due to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen this morning and witness the signing of an MOU on bilateral health cooperation in the afternoon US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar yesterday arrived in Taipei aboard a US government plane at the head of a delegation that is the highest-level visit by a US official since Washington switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979. Azar’s flight landed at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) at 4:48pm, nearly one hour earlier than scheduled, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The apron where it landed is reserved for military aircraft, the Songshan Air Force Base Command said. The members of Azar’s delegation included HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec, HHS Chief of Staff Brian
ALEX AZAR: The first visit by a head of the Department of Health and Human Services would strictly observe the CECC’s special regulations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar is to lead a delegation to Taiwan — the highest-level visit by a US Cabinet official since the two sides cut formal relations in 1979. The plan was announced yesterday morning by the US Department of Health and Human Services and confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). Beijing has expressed its concerns to Washington, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said later yesterday. Taiwan and the US only issued statements saying that the visit would happen “in the coming days.” MOFA said that due to security concerns, it would
‘CROSS-STRAIT CONSIDERATIONS’: Groups said that the Ministry of Education’s policies excluded Chinese and students should not be blocked over political issues The Taiwan International Student Movement yesterday said it would protest today outside the Ministry of Education in Taipei against a policy that excludes some Chinese students from returning to Taiwan amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since June 17, the ministry has allowed foreign students from 19 “low risk” and “medium-low risk” countries and regions to enter Taiwan. On July 22, it announced that it was relaxing restrictions to include students from all countries and regions who are graduating this semester and on Wednesday it further expanded entry to students enrolled in degree programs. A letter sent by the ministry on Wednesday to universities did
The military last week sent “no small number” of Marine Corps officers to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) following reports of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) drill targeting the islands scheduled for this month. In an interview with Hong Kong’s Bauhinia Magazine published on Saturday last week, PLA National Defense University professor Li Daguang (李大光) confirmed that the Chinese army was planning to stage a simulated invasion of the Pratas Islands in the South China Sea this month. The islands comprise three atolls, with Pratas Island, at 1.74km2, being the largest. They lie southwest of Taiwan proper in the South
RSS