More government services can soon be paid online
Oftentimes, crisis is the best agent to trigger changes, which would otherwise take much longer to happen.
As more people go online to shop or order food through apps amid the pandemic, the government is also doing its part to let people run more errands online by widening the acceptance of online payments through the Faster Payment System (FPS).
Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui told lawmakers Wednesday that the initiative is expected to be rolled out by phases in 2022. At least seven departments have started preparatory work. Numerous other departments will also explore the possibility of extending FPS payment to their bills.
Various services frequently used by the public, such as applications for licences and certificates, booking and registration of services will be covered.
The Government started accepting bill payment via FPS QR codes in November 2019. Currently, bills issued by the Inland Revenue Department, the Rating & Valuation Department and the Water Supplies Department, as well as general demand notes issued by the Government are already printed with FPS QR codes to provide the additional payment option.
Given the merit of contactless payment in reducing the virus transmission risk, the Government launched a scheme in October last year to provide subsidy to tenants of market stalls at a flat rate of $5,000 for each stall.
The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has so far received over 3,500 applications since the scheme's launch. Hui said the government will step up promotion efforts to encourage more stalls to join.
-- Contact us at [email protected]
-
Equip young people for the future Dr. Winnie Tang
In late February, the inaugural flight of an air taxi from Shenzhen Shekou Cruise Homeport to Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port took only 20 minutes with an estimated one-way ticket price of 200 to 300 yuan per
-
Are we raising a generation of leaders, or of followers? Brian YS Wong
The essence of education is defined not by the facts it imparts, but the potential knowledge it inspires students to individually pursue on their own. Put it this way – the ideal form of education
-
The urgent need for reforms to sex education in Hong Kong Sharon Chau
Nearly one in every four university students (23%) in Hong Kong has been sexually harassed, according to a 2019 report published by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). A 2019 study found that
-
STEAM should be linked to real life Dr. Winnie Tang
In the 2017 Policy Address, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education was proposed as one of the eight major directions to promote I&T development. Since then, funding has
-
Let trees speak for themselves Dr. Winnie Tang
I often say that smart cities start with smart planning, but smart planning presupposes adequate, systematic and up-to-date data. This is important not only for city administration, but also for tree
