Pacific
Sum of Measures 1—5 (Total Package)
Measure | Amount (Local) | Amount (USD) | Details | Update | Source |
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01 - Liquidity Support info_outline | |||||
01A - Short-term lending info_outline | |||||
01B - Support policies for short-term lending info_outline | |||||
01C - Forex operations info_outline | No amount/estimate: (i) 19 March 2020, The National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) Board committed to easing exchange control requirements if needed. The exchange rate remains pegged against a basket of currencies (within a ±5% monthly adjustment limit). No new exchange restrictions have been announced. International reserves were at 7.4 months of imports at end-May 2020; (ii) As of end-June 2020, international reserves increased to 8.2 months worth of imports (around TOP543.8 million); (iii) Further, as of end-August 2020, international reserves increased to 8.5 months worth of imports (around TOP555.9 million). As of end-October 2020, this rose to 9.7 months worth of imports (around TOP581.6 million). As of end-November 2020, this stood at 9.9 months worth of imports (around TOP590.2 million). As of end-December 2020, this stood at 11.8 months worth of imports (around TOP705.3 million). |
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02 - Credit creation info_outline | |||||
02A - Financial sector lending/funding info_outline | |||||
02B - Support policies for long-term lending info_outline | |||||
02B1 - Interest rate adjustments | |||||
02B2 - Other policies to support long-term lending | No amount/estimate: Monetary policy, which has been accommodative given low inflation and slow economic recovery, remained on hold. |
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02C - Loan guarantees | |||||
03 - Direct long-term lending info_outline | |||||
03A - Long-term lending info_outline | |||||
03B - Forbearance | No amount/estimate: (i) The Government of Tonga announced a 3-month moratorium on Government Development Loans and TC Gita Recovery Loan Fund; (ii) Commercial banks are assisting their customers affected by the COVID-19 virus on a case by case basis and depending on individual customers’ circumstances by (a) reducing or suspending the principal loan repayments to interest only loan repayments; (b) restructuring loans to businesses that have reduced business hours, in affected sectors such as tourism and related industries like transportation and to individuals who have been laid off; (c) extending the terms of loans to reduce repayments; (d) reducing loan interest rates on a case by case basis; and (e) providing access to short-term funding, if required. |
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04 - Equity support info_outline | |||||
05 - Health and income support | TOP60,000,000 | USD26,119,636 | |||
05A - Health support | TOP20,000,000 | USD8,706,545 | (i) 2 April 2020, Based on an initial assessment of the overall impact of COVID-19 on the economy, the Government of Tonga announced an Economic and Social Stimulus Package of TOP60 million (5.3% of GDP) for FY 2020. This package is intended to provide short-term assistance to all affected sectors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a third of the funds will be directed to the health sector, while the rest will support the other sectors, including tourism, transport, agriculture, education and security. |
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05B - Income support | TOP40,000,000 | USD17,413,091 | |||
05B1 - Tax and contribution deferrals and policy changes | (i) No amount/estimate: The Government of Tonga announced a deferral of retirement contributions and hardship allowances for laid-off employees (up to 3 months) |
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05B2 - Tax and contribution rates reduction | (i) Tax and duty relief during the pandemic. |
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05B3 - Subsidies to individuals and households | (i) Needs-based financial assistance for individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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05B4 - Subsidies to businesses | (i) Assistance with the payment of utility bills by public enterprises. |
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05B5 - Indirect income support | |||||
05B6 - No breakdown (income support) | TOP40,000,000 | USD17,413,091 | (ii) This covers two-thirds of the TOP60 million Stimulus Package in Measure 5A under Health. The measures undertaken are separately presented in 5B1-5B5, but with no amounts disclosed by the Government. |
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05C - No breakdown (health and income support) | |||||
06 - Budget reallocation info_outline | |||||
07 - Central bank financing government | |||||
07A - Direct lending and reserve drawdown | |||||
07B - Secondary purchase: government securities | |||||
08 - International Assistance Received | TOP243,383,756 | USD105,951,587 | |||
08A - Swaps info_outline | |||||
08B - International loans/grants | TOP243,383,756 | USD105,951,587 | |||
08B1 - Asian Development Bank | TOP93,538,821 | USD40,720,000 | (i) 6 April 2020, USD0.47 million - Grant 0693-TON: COVID-19 Emergency Response (Additional Financing); (ii) 15 April 2020, USD0.08 million announced by the ADB as part of the Strengthening Social Protection in the Pacific program. On 24 July 2020, additional USD0.15 million co-financing under the same program; (iii) 15 April 2020, ADB today announced the release of a USD6 million (TOP13.9 million) grant from its Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 2) to help finance the Government of Tonga’s response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; (iv) 24 April 2020, USD0.13 million allocated by the ADB as additional funding to Tonga under the Regional Project on Developing the Pacific Health Sector; (v) USD0.46 million allocation for TA9950-REG: Regional Support to Address the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Potential Outbreaks of Other Communicable Diseases. As of 30 January 2021, this has been increased to USD0.60 million. As of 8 October 2021, this has again been increased to USD 0.66 million; (vi) 5 June 2020, USD0.14 million in financing under the Pacific Economic Management, Phase 3 project; (vii) 25 June 2020, USD12.2 million in ADF grant under the Strengthening Macroeconomic Resilience Program, with another USD6.92 million co-financed by Australia and New Zealand; (viii) 10 August 2020, USD0.17 million under the regional project, Knowledge and Support Technical Assistance for Strengthening Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Practices and Hygiene Behavioral Change in the Pacific; (ix) 12 August 2020, USD0.06 million under the regional project, Support for Gender Sensitive Responses to COVID-19 in the Pacific Developing Member Countries; (x) 14 December 2020, USD10 million under the Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 3); (xi) 17 December 2020, USD0.25 million from the regional project, Supporting Recovery by Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Pacific from the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic; (xii) 23 April 2021, USD5.5 million from the regional project, Systems Strengthening for Effective Coverage of New Vaccines in the Pacific Project under the Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (Additional Financing). This was committed on 20 May 2021; (xiii) 23 June 2021, USD0.06 million under the project: Advancing the Transformative Gender Equality Agenda in a Post-COVID-19 Asia and the Pacific; (xiv) 5 November 2021, USD5 million under the project, Economic Recovery Support Program. [update] |
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08B2 - Other | TOP149,844,934 | USD65,231,587 | (i) 12 May 2020, USD8.4 million funding from the World Bank to strengthen resilience and fight against the COVID-19 Pandemic; (ii) 20 May 2020, AUD10.5 million in quick financial support from Australia to support Pacific countries hit by both the recent cyclone and pandemic; (iii) 5 June 2020, USD2.89 million equivalent grant to Tonga to to improve the climate resilience of the transport sector, and in the event of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, to provide an immediate response to the Eligible Crisis or Emergency. The financing provided under this project will support urgent needs created by the COVID-19 crisis; (iv) 16 December 2020, USD30 million funding from the World Bank in support for Tonga's most vulnerable, under the Tonga: Supporting Recovery After Dual Shocks Development Policy Operation. It will support Tongan businesses, workers and vulnerable households to recover from the dual shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent typhoons; (v) 25 January 2021, USD9.95 million Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) from the IMF as emergency financing and debt relief; (vi) 11 June 2021, Tonga has received AUD12 million from the Government of Australia to help the country deal with the economic effects of COVID-19; (vii) 13 July 2021, Japan has announced that it will provide a total of 11 million vaccines to recepient countries, including Tonga. |
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09 - International Assistance Provided | |||||
09A - Swaps info_outline | |||||
09B - International loans/grants | |||||
10 - No breakdown | |||||
11 - Other Economic Measures | Commercial banks are assisting their customers affected by the COVID-19 virus on a case by case basis and depending on individual customers’ circumstances by: (i) Reducing or suspending the principal loan repayments to interest only loan repayments; (ii) Restructuring loans to businesses that have reduced business hours, in affected sectors such as tourism and related industries like transportation and to individuals who have been laid off; (iii) Extending the terms of loans to reduce repayments; (iv) Reducing loan interest rates on a case by case basis; and (v) providing access to short-term funding, if required. |
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12 - Non-Economic Measures | |||||
12A - Measures affecting travel and transport (local and international) | (i) The Government of Tonga has been introducing increasingly restrictive containment measures since January 2020; (ii) In March 2020, it toughened measures for incoming travelers, while all international cruise ships and yachts were barred indefinitely; (iii) On 21 March 2020, Tonga declared a state of National Emergency. As a preventive measure, a nation-wide lockdown came into effect on 29 March 2020, which entails the prohibition of all flights into the country and all public transportation inside the country, a stay-at-home order, a night-time curfew and the prohibition of public gatherings; (iv) The state of National Emergency and the border closure have been extended until 28 September 2020 and 12 September 2020, respectively. |
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12B - Measures affecting business and workplace | (i) Closure of all non-essential businesses and public facilities. |
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12C - Others | (i) The authorities started easing restrictions on 12 April 2020, by lifting the national lockdown, and domestic restrictions were further eased on 11 June 2020, for example by further reducing curfew hours and relaxing restrictions removing the prohibition on the size of permissible gatherings contact sports; (ii) The state of National Emergency and the border closure, however, have been extended until 28 September 2020 and 12 September 2020, respectively. As of January, the National Emergency was extended until 18 January 2021; (iii) 27 September 2021, Tonga's health State of Emergency has been renewed. As of 25 October 2021, the State of Emergency has been renewed for another month, until 22 November 2021 [update]; (iv) 2 November 2021, Tonga goes into national lockdown after reporting its first ever COVID-19 case. [update] |