Macao Chief presents 2011 policy address
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Chief Executive of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chui Sai On on Tuesday delivered his policy address for the fiscal year 2011, which highlighted the specific policy measures the SAR government will adopt next year.
Being his second since assuming office in December last year, Chui delivered the 2011 policy address at the SAR's Legislative Assembly.
In his policy address, Chui introduced a series of new measures in various sectors such as diversification of Macao's economy, social welfare, transparency of government, regional cooperation.
After a comprehensive public consultation, the SAR government decided to exclude casino property development from the urban planning of Macao's newly-reclaimed land from the sea, and these strips of land will only be used to build public houses and develop industries which would help diversify local gaming-led economy, Chui said in his policy address.
To help ease the inflationary pressures on local residents, the SAR government will also implement tax-exempt measures and subsidies on education, the socially-disadvantaged and housing, etc, next year.
Among these measures, Chui proposed that the government's Wealth Sharing Scheme be continued next year, under which each permanent resident will receive 4,000 patcas (513 U.S. dollars) from the SAR government while non-permanent residents will get 2,400 patacas (308 U.S. dollars). The government will also provide each local resident with a 500-patacas medical coupon.
The above measures will cost the SAR government some 4.7 billion patacas (603 million U.S. dollars).
Under this year's scheme, each local permanent and non- permanent resident respectively received 6,000 patacas (750 U.S. dollars) and 3,600 patacas (450 U.S. dollars), which was the same last year.
