Around a fifth of people eligible for the €100 consumer vouchers have signed up so far, with just four days left for online registration.
Economy Minister Silvio Schembri on Tuesday urged the public to sign up for their €100 vouchers, saying it was more more cumbersome and would take longer to receive a physical copy by registered post.
Some 81,000 of the 450,000 people eligible for the digital consumer vouchers to be spent in restaurants and shops have signed up online. The government vouchers, are valued at €100, of which €60 can be used in restaurants and tourist establishments and €40 in retail and beauty outlets.
Launched last month, the digital version of the vouchers must be downloaded by June 4, at midnight from wallet.vouchersmimcol.com.
Cash for housebound elderly
Schembri said that some 2,000 elderly people had registered online so far.
However he revealed some elderly people who were not able to leave their homes will benefit from a direct payment instead of the vouchers.
Residents in old people's homes will receive the €100 as a payment, either as a deposit directly into their bank account or in the form of a cheque.
Physical voucher distribution
Schembri said the registration process is simple and can be done either using one’s e-ID or through a simple identification process using the standard ID card.
The vouchers campaign, the minister said, is also encouraging people to sign up for their e-ID.
On the day the digital voucher registration was launched, some 750 people signed up for their e-ID every minute. This, he said, would make it much easier to roll-out public services in the future.
Distribution of the physical version of the vouchers will only begin once the sign-up for digital version is closed. Distribution is expected to begin on June 7, the day vouchers can start being used.
Schembri said 72% of online registration had been done using e-IDs.
Majority Maltese
Some 1,594 applications had been rejected so far.
Applicants were split fairly evenly across genders with 53% of applicants men and 47% women.
Two in three applicants are local and 34% foreign with a valid residence permit. The bulk, 93%, came from Malta and just 7% from Gozo.
Schembri said that a consumer helpline, 8007 4904, has been set up. The vouchers website, contains a thorough FAQ section with information.
Questions can also be emailed to consumers@vouchersmimcol.com