According to the Administration Wing, a total of 10,271 eligible applications have been received for the HK$20,000 newborn baby bonus program as of March 15 this year. Out of these applications, 9,677 parents have already received the bonus. The program was launched on October 25 last year and has been in operation for less than five months. The Administration Wing stated that more time is needed to observe its implementation before conducting a review to determine future steps.
In response to inquiries about additional policy measures to encourage families to have children, the office mentioned that apart from the baby bonus program, several other measures have been implemented. These include raising the accommodation-related tax deduction ceiling, providing priority arrangements for subsidized sale flats and public rental housing allocation, and increasing child care center places and allowances.
The SAR government has allocated a new non-recurrent commitment of HK$2,286 million for the newborn baby bonus program. This commitment is considered a policy breakthrough and a significant financial investment. However, the office emphasized the need to strike a balance between encouraging childbirth and maintaining healthy public finances, taking into account the high fiscal deficit.
The government will carefully evaluate any proposals for further monetary assistance, considering their impact on public finances. The aim is to find a balance that promotes childbirth while ensuring the stability of the overall financial situation.
超過10,000名香港父母獲得2萬港元嬰兒獎金
根據行政翼部門的消息，截至今年3月15日，共收到10,271份符合資格的申請，申請者可獲得2萬港元的新生嬰兒獎金。其中，已有9,677名父母獲得了這項獎金。該計劃於去年10月25日推出，至今運作不到五個月。行政翼部門表示，在進行評估之前，還需要更多時間觀察其實施情況，以確定未來的措施。
針對是否有其他政策措施鼓勵更多家庭生育的問題，該部門提到除了嬰兒獎金計劃外，已經實施了其他措施。這些措施包括提高與住房相關的稅務扣除上限、優先安排公屋和租住房屋分配，以及增加托兒中心的場所和津貼。
香港特區政府為新生嬰兒獎金計劃提供了新的非循環承諾，金額為2,286百萬港元。這一承諾被視為政策突破和重大財政投入。然而，該部門強調需要在鼓勵生育和維護健康的公共財政之間取得平衡，考慮到高度財政赤字。
政府將仔細評估任何進一步的財政援助提案，考慮其對公共財政的影響，並確保在促進生育的同時保持整體財政穩定。
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