Officials to blame for supermarket cash-in
- After putting taxpayers’ money into the pockets of wealthy retail chains, the Hong Kong government now wants some of that windfall shared with the public, which is easier said than done
There is no such thing as a free lunch. Having been criticised for allowing moneymaking businesses to receive wage subsidies meant for those devastated by the epidemic, the Hong Kong government is under pressure to justify the handouts by making the two supermarket giants provide some concessions.
This has proved difficult, though. More than a month has passed since the “give-back” requirement was first raised by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, but so far there has just been a war of words on how it should be done.
The public can be excused for feeling confused after some proposals were questioned or rejected. For instance, ParknShop’s proposed online lucky draw for cash coupons is a matter of luck rather than a fair way to benefit shoppers. It is also liable to personal data breaches, according to the Consumer Council.
Separately, a move by Wellcome to freeze the price of 300 essential items for six months as part of the package was also deemed unquantifiable and rejected. But it will still go ahead as an additional voluntary measure anyway.
The rebates shall be implemented this year, and include details such as the amounts involved, number of beneficiaries and a list of partner organisations to help enhance public monitoring.
Officials have only got themselves to blame for putting taxpayers’ money into the pockets of the wealthy in the first place. They are now asking for trouble by forcing recipients to share what they have with the public.
Supermarket sales have increased as people shun restaurants and wet markets. The rebate required in the second phase of wage subsidies is only a fraction of the hundreds of millions of dollars received by the two supermarket chains.
The government should have known that the monitoring of a give-back would be difficult, if not impossible. Supermarkets are notorious for a lack of transparency in their pricing and promotion strategies.
The consumer watchdog is only too aware of this and has expressed reservations over such initiatives. Officials are also mindful of the problem and have sensibly ruled out price-related measures, but options are increasingly limited as a result.
There needs to be more transparent and effective monitoring to ensure both customers and employees benefit.
