ROC consumer voucher
The Republic of China Consumer Voucher (Chinese: 中華民國振興經濟消費券) was part of an economic stimulus package held by the government of the Republic of China. The distribution of the vouchers to every ROC citizen born before March 31, 2009 and some foreign residents (i.e. spouses of citizens) began on January 18 2009. The purpose of these vouchers was to combat the economic downturn in the country mainly due to the global financial crisis which began in 2007. According to government officials, the vouchers had to be picked up before April 30, 2009, had to be used before September 30, 2009, and could not be deposited into bank accounts. The overall amount distributed in the form of Consumer Vouchers was $85.8 billion New Taiwan Dollars, roughly around $2.75 billion USD.[1][2]
Each recipient was entitled to NT$3600, around US$115, the day the vouchers were distributed. Around 91% of the vouchers were picked up during the first phase of the distribution. These vouchers could be used to purchase just about any item in Taiwan; however, there were a few notable restrictions. They could not be used to buy lottery tickets or stored-value merchandise, such as prepaid cards.
Based on the premise of a multiplier effect in economics, the ROC Government estimates a growth of 0.66% to 1% in GDP as a result of the increase in domestic demand from the circulation of these vouchers.[3]