More than 23 million people, or 98.35 percent of Taiwan’s population, had obtained Triple Stimulus Vouchers by Thursday — the deadline for the program launched by the government in July last year to boost the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The stimulus program gave the economy a boost, thanks to the NT$3,000 (US$105) vouchers’ wide distribution, the ministry said.
The retail and food sectors benefited most, with both sectors recording their highest-ever monthly revenue in the second half of last year, the ministry said.
National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said that the program contributed NT$100 billion to Taiwan’s GDP.
When the program ended on Thursday, 98.35 percent of eligible residents had claimed the vouchers, with 21.51 million having obtained paper vouchers and 1.81 million electronic vouchers, the ministry said.
To encourage participation in the program, the government implemented a system that required people to pay NT$1,000 to claim the vouchers.
Initially, they were available only to Taiwanese and their foreign spouses with residency in the nation, but in November last year, the government extended the program to foreign diplomats and the approximately 13,000 holders of Alien Permanent Resident Certificates.
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