Gist of proposed extra budget designed to support pandemic-hit merchants

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- The following is the gist of the 14 trillion-won (US$11.8 billion) extra budget that the finance ministry proposed Friday to support small merchants hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and back antivirus efforts.

▲ 11.5 trillion won for pandemic-hit merchants
-- 9.6 trillion won will be spent to provide 3 million won each to 3.2 million merchants to help them ease the burden of paying rent and other costs
-- 1.9 trillion won will be used to shore up the state scheme to compensate merchants and the self-employed for their losses caused by the government's tighter distancing rules.

▲ 1.5 trillion won for antivirus efforts
-- 400 billion won will be set aside to increase hospital beds for critically ill coronavirus patients
-- 600 billion won will be spent to buy COVID-19 treatment pills and shots.
-- 500 billion won will be used to support COVID-19 patients who receive treatment at home

▲ 1 trillion won for reserve funds
-- to shore up reserve funds to brace for quarantine demand amid the spread of the omicron variant

▲ The finance ministry plans to sell government bonds worth 11.3 trillion won to finance the extra budget
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제보는 카카오톡 okjebo <저작권자(c) 연합뉴스, 무단 전재-재배포 금지> 2022/01/21 10:00 송고