- 2 -
are bound to be difficult to accept especially when it involves contributions from the employees. Care must therefore be taken
in this aspect.
Secondly, the bulk of expenses of the fund goes to compensation payments. What puzzles me is that, according to the data provided in the annual report of the Labour Department, the cumulative figure of the incidence of pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling silica alone (excluding those related to asbestos dust) is 1,583 between the years 1981 and 1986, yet the number of cases in which victims are compensated stands at 1,513 only. If compensation had been paid for the rest of the cases, the total expenditure of the Fund would have
been risen.
lc.
&c.
Thirdly, the Secretary for Education and Manpower remarked in his speech that "Despite these sharp cuts in the path of levy and despite our decision in October in 1987 to extend the scope of the Fund to include preventive works such as research, education and publicity, the, accumulated surplus
M.. Ho Jai-chu has pointed out and I reiterate here has continued to increase". I want to point fout that what he said is indeed misleading. As far as I know, a research committee was set up by the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board early this year. Although the committee has started to invite academic institutions to participate in their research, it is still in its preparatory stage and has not carried out any educational and publicity work at all. I believe when the research, publicity and educational work are in full swing, the expenditure of the Fund will substantially augment.
cont
To conclude from the above three points, I do not think it necessary to reduce the rate of levy with haste. In fact, as indicated in the 1986 report of the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board, any rate of levy lower create administrative difficulties in taxation. hand, the expenditure of the Fund will go up if
than 0.05% will I would like to throw a
On the other question to inprovements
the anthon
as to which
the proposed
reduction.
the rate
levy would lequally