The Low-income Working Family Allowance Scheme is helping the Government improve the poverty situation in Hong Kong.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam made the statement today after the Commission on Poverty Summit.
The scheme was implemented in May to encourage continued employment by rewarding those who work more, easing inter-generational poverty and relieving working families’ financial pressure.
Mrs Lam said schemes like this have helped the Government keep the number of poor Hong Kong people to less than a million for three consecutive years.
As the poverty line is calculated by income and does not include assets, it is possible to overestimate the poverty situation, she said.
As Hong Kong is an affluent society, it is not easy to close the gap between the rich and poor, but the Government will keep implementing measures to provide opportunities for the underprivileged.
