TUESDAY, MAY 27, 1980
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RAPID GROWTH IN IRD BUSINESS
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THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT COLLECTED A RECORD $7 600 MILLION IN TAX IN THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR, AN INCREASE OF NO LESS THAN FORTY-ONE TIMES THE YIELD IN 1957, THE COMMISSIONER OF INLAND REVENUE, MR VICTOR LADD SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF HONG KONG NORTH-WEST, MR LADD RECALLED THAT IN 1957, WHEN HE JOINED THE DEPARTMENT, ITS TOTAL COLLECTION WAS A MERE $185 MILLION.
THE DEPARTMENT'S TOTAL ESTABLISHMENT THEN WAS JUST OVER 300 OFFICERS AND THE TOTAL COST OF THE DEPARTMENT WAS SOME $3.6 MILLION, EQUAL TO TWO PER CENT OF THE REVENUE COLLECTED.
TODAY, THE TOTAL ESTABLISHMENT IS AROUND 2 600 AND THE COST LAST YEAR AMOUNTED TO ABOUT $80 MILLION - OR JUST OVER ONE PER CENT OF TOTAL COLLECTIONS, HE SAID.
INEVITABLY, HOWEVER, WITH GROWTH HAVE COME PROBLEMS FOR THE DEPARTMENT'S ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT TEAM, MR LADD SAID.
HE NOTED THAT TWENTY YEARS AGO, LESS THAN 20 000 SALARIES TAX ASSESSMENTS WERE RAISED ANNUALLY AND LESS THAN 17 000 BUSINESSES WERE CHARGEABLE TO TAX,
+BY CONTRAST, WE HAVE JUST ISSUED SOME 425 000 SALARIES TAX RETURNS AND 100 000 BUSINESS RETURNS, AND OTHER AREAS WITHIN OUR RESPONSIBILITY - PROPERTY TAX, INTEREST TAX, PERSONAL ASSESSMENT, BUSINESS REGISTRATIONS AND SO ON EXPERIENCED SIMILAR GROWTH PATTERNS, HE SAID.
HAVE ALL
TO MEET THESE INCREASING DEMANDS IT HAS BEEN NECESSARY TO EXPAND THE STAFF ESTABLISHMENT CONSIDERABLY AND TO RELY MORE ON COMPUTERISATION, MR LADD EXPLAINED.
HE SAID THAT LATER THIS YEAR, THE DEPARTMENT WILL TAKE DELIVERY OF ITS OWN COMPUTER AND DURING THE COURSE OF THE FOLLOWING 18 MONTHS OR SO A FULLY INTEGRATED DATA BASE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED.
ANOTHER PROBLEM AREA WHICH CAME WITH EXPANSION WAS THAT OF OFFICE ACCOMMODATION.
MR LADD SAID THAT THE DEPARTMENT NOW OCCUPIED SOME 330 000 SQUARE FEET IN WINDSOR HOUSE, FROM THE FIRST FLOOR RECEPTION LOBBY THROUGH TO THE 27TH FLOOR.
+ I DO NOT THINK THAT THERE CAN BE VERY MUCH DOUBT THAT THE MOVE TO WINDSOR HOUSE HAS BEEN A GOOD THING - GOOD IN THE SENSE THAT IT MAKES FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO BE HOUSED UNDER ONE ROOF AND GOOD TOO IN THAT THE FACILITIES FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE TAX-PAYING PUBLIC ARE BETTER THAN THEY EVER HAVE BEEN IN THE HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT,+ MR LADD SAID.
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