W
The Economy
• The HKSAR shall practise an independent taxation system, taking the low tax policy previously pursued in Hong Kong as reference.
• The HKSAR shall follow the principle of keeping expenditure within the limits of revenues in drawing up its budget, and strive to achieve a fiscal balance, avoid deficits and keep the budget commensurate with the growth rate of its GDP.
• The Legislative Council of the HKSAR shall exercise the power to approve taxation and public expenditure.
The government implements these constitutional provisions in its management of public finances by maintaining a low and simple tax regime and exercising fiscal prudence. Hong Kong's Public Finance Ordinance stipulates a system for the control and management of Hong Kong's public finances and defines the respective powers and functions of the legislature and the executive. Pursuant to the ordinance, the Financial Secretary submits to LegCo an annual set of estimates of revenue and expenditure. The estimates are drawn up in the context of a medium-range forecast, which is a fiscal planning tool to ensure appropriate regard is given to the longer-term trends in the economy.
A government department can incur expenditure only up to the amounts stated in the expenditure estimates and for the purposes approved by LegCo. During the financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March, if a department needs to change the expenditure estimates and spend more money, it must obtain LegCo's authorisation.
The government controls its finances through the General Revenue Account (GRA) and various funds established under the ordinance. The GRA is the main account for day-to-day departmental expenditure and revenue collection. Funds established under the ordinance are the Bond Fund, Capital Investment Fund, Capital Works Reserve Fund, Civil Service Pension Reserve Fund, Disaster Relief Fund, Innovation and Technology Fund, Land Fund, Loan Fund and Lotteries Fund. The total revenue and expenditure of the GRA and all these funds except the Bond Fund represent government revenue and government expenditure respectively, and the total balance of the GRA and the funds except the Bond Fund constitutes government fiscal
reserves.
Financial Results
For 2015-16, the government recorded a surplus of $14.4 billion, with revenue of $450 billion and expenditure of $435.6 billion. Fiscal reserves at the end of March 2016 stood at $842.9 billion, equivalent to 23 months of government expenditure. Highlights of government revenue and expenditure for 2015-16 and 2016-17 (Revised Estimate) are found in table 6 of Appendix 6.
Public expenditure comprises government expenditure and expenditure by the Housing Authority and Trading Funds. In 2015-16, public expenditure increased 10.4 per cent against the previous year to $468 billion, of which $341.5 billion, or 73 per cent, was of a recurrent nature. Table 7 gives an analysis of public expenditure by policy area group and table 8, the growth rate of public expenditure as compared with the rate of economic growth.
51