POST OFFICE TELEPHONE
WEMBLEY 2165.
EXHIBITION RELAY
AUTOPHONE 10 321
COMMISSIONERS OFFICE.
HONG KONG SECTION,
649
BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION (1924),
WEMBLEY.
21st May
1924
PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL.
C.o.
24431
1.1. Committee
House
Some ne
Lords
3.45 p.m.
telephoned this to me
Sir,
:
-
22 MAY 24
-
With reference to a recent discussion with Sir Gilbert Grindle in the Colonial Office, concerning the Chinese Exhibitors and others in the Hong Kong Section all those, in fact, who are visiting England purely on account of the Exhibition and their position in connection with the Income Tax regulations, I have now the honour to forward, as arranged, a com- plete list of the Chinese now here under these conditions. Details are supplied against each name and it will be seen that a large proportion of the persons named will be concerned with Income Tax after the statutory residence in England, and these are those who are of the greatest importance in the working of the Hong Kong Section of the Exhibition.
I venture to repeat the view expressed at the discussion, that it is of importance that no official communications concerning a demand for Income Tax or conveying the impression that the recipient is liable to Income Tax should be received by the Chinese who have been invited to England purely for the purposes of the Exhibition. Such an impression, if once conveyed, will almost certainly result in the departure of the Chinese before the end of their six months' residence, that is, well before the end of the Exhibition period, and arrange- ments for such departure before the end of September would have the effect of entirely dis-organising the Hong Kong Section, probably not later than the end of August. If the impression of liability is once conveyed no assurance that arrangements can be made for non-payment of the tax is likely to be satisfactory; a direct official certificate of non-liability will no doubt be required by the extremely precise minds of the Chinese and such a certificate, presumably, cannot be given.
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