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Wednesday, March 27, 1974
SELF DISCIPLINE BY FINANCE COMPANIES SUGGESTED
The Financial Secretary said today that any action on the
question of control over the activities of finance companies "must involve
a large element of voluntary association and self-policing by the companies
themselves."
Speaking in the resumed budget debate in the Legislative Council
this afternoon, Mr. Haddon Cave said this would be in contrast to the
"complications involved in statutory control."
In any case, he said, we must first concentrate on the amendments
to the Banking Ordinance and the Protection of Depositors Bill.
Nevertheless, he admitted that his mind was "not closed on this
question" and that he was "most anxious" to seek all available advice
on the whole issue, including that of the Banking Advisory Committee.
Turning to the question of withholding tax on interest payments,
the Financial Secretary said there would undoubtedly be "a significant
loss of revenue" if the interest tax was abolished completely.
He doubted that the loss of revenue would be made up from
other sources, mainly profits tax.
For this to happen, he said, net profits of the order of $440
million would need to be generated and, given the relatively small margins
made on off shore borrowing and lending transactions, a market equivalent
to perhaps $100,000 million would have to be built up.
"I doubt whether even the most optimistic would expect a market
of this order of size to develop very quickly," he added.
/Referring to .................