Head 6-Licences
This Head comprises 22 subheads of which twelve produced less revenue than expected and ten more. The major shortfalls occurred under ‘Licences—liquor' ($877,464 or 15.7%) where the demand for licences did not increase as anticipated; 'Licences-dangerous goods, mining and prospecting' ($564,304 or 47%) where delay in legislation amending the Dangerous Goods Ordinance resulted in revenue collections being smaller than anticipated; and 'Licences dangerous drugs, pharmacy poisons and others' ($10,000,765 or 99.3%) because proposed new Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations were not implemented during the year. There were no significant excesses over estimated revenue under this Head.
Head 7-Franchises
Of the 12 subheads in the Head four produced less than anticipated, the main shortfall being $810,000 or 16.8% in the case of Television Broadcasts Limited due to late receipt of a final payment. The remaining 6 subheads for which estimates were provided, produced excesses, only one being significant-$3,448,622 (23.9%) in the case of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel Company Limited due to a continuing increase in the number of vehicles using the tunnel.
Head 8-Fees and Receipts
Of the 71 subheads under this Head, 44 yielded more revenue than expected and 27 yielded less. Among the more significant excesses were $2,887,397 (34%) under 'Examination' fees due mainly to the introduction of revised entry fees for General Certificate of Education and Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations during the year; $380,977 (34.6%) under 'Surplus and condemned stores' due largely to the sale of a marine launch and pre-war railway coaches during the year; $1,858,383 (61.9%) under 'Unallocated stores' because of an unexpected increase in the value of drugs and medicines sold to charitable organisations; $407,092 (10.5%) under 'Publications' mainly because of increased demand from the public for Government publications; $258,873 (80.9%) under 'Commission' due to more cases of probate than anticipated being dealt with in the Supreme Court during the year; $1,648,867 (59.7%) under 'Anchorage' fees due to the revision of these fees in April 1975; $257,724 (22.4%) under 'Survey' fees because more local craft and convention ships were surveyed; $949,379 (27.1%) under 'Outpatients clinics' due to the imposition of fees for follow-up treatment at these clinics; $430,945 (107.7%) under 'Buildings Ordinance' because balcony fees in respect of building projects where exemptions were granted by the Building Authority prior to 1st April, 1974 were still being received from private developers during the year; $504,384 (33.6%) under 'Government transport' due to the introduction of increased rates of hire charges for the use of pool cars and the demand for pool transport being greater than expected; $538,322 (134.6%) under 'Wayleave' mainly because of new wayleaves granted in the case of the Peninsula Hotel, Sheraton Hotel and Hutchison House; $349,930 (71.4%) under 'Births and deaths' because of the introduction of certain increased fees from August, 1975; $2,502,208 (37.7%) under ‘Deeds' because of an increase by 17% in the number of deeds registered during the year; $1,126,136 (67.4%) under ‘Marriage' fees because of an increase in certain fees with effect from 1st November, 1975; $283,160 (74.5%) under 'Replacement of identity cards' because the demand for cards to replace those lost, defaced or amended was greater than had been anticipated; $5,392,325 (25.7%) under 'Vehicle and drivers' fees because there were more applicants for goods vehicle driving licence tests and public light bus driving tests than expected; and $8,513,831 (2,076.5%) under ‘Difference in exchange' mainly due to exchange gains on the encashment and issue of British Postal and Money Orders which were not foreseen at the time the estimate was prepared. Three of the subheads in the 'Miscellaneous' category also recorded large excesses; in the case of ‘Departmental services and supervision' $15,594,790 or 389.9% mainly because of charges made for work carried out for the Urban Council which were not foreseen at the time when the estimate was prepared; $2,619,990 or 100.8% in the case of ‘Overpayments in previous years' due largely to reimbursements of amounts due by Housing Authority and Urban Council and a large overpayment received from a contractor and ‘Other receipts' $277,724 or 13.9% mainly because of the transfer of a substantial unclaimed balance to revenue and the receipt of a judgement debt arising out of a claim made against a defaulting contractor. The largest shortfall was $10,243,587 (48.8%) under 'Parking' for a number of reasons-fewer new meters were installed than had been scheduled, there were delays in converting existing meters to the new higher rates and in designating more parking spaces as chargeable on Sundays and Public Holidays and there was an upsurge in the tampering with meters. Other large shortfalls occurred; under 'Agricultural services and products' $299,413 (45.4%) mainly because Reniket Newcastle Disease Vaccine was not purchased from Government funds as had been anticipated, resulting in no corresponding sales proceeds from this source during the year; under 'Import and export declarations' $6,330,808 (15.6%) because the trade revival which had been forecast did not commence until late in the year; under "Travel documents' $10,016,944 (30.7%) because the demand for these documents was not as great as had been anticipated at the time when the estimate was prepared; under ‘Explosives permits' $2,392,545 (50.4%) because of the delay of construction work for the Mass Transit Railway; under 'Buoy' dues $1,387,260 (11.2%) because more vessels than expected used public and private wharves rather than Government
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