WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2.
6
AND IF THE PROPOSED MEASURES WERE SCUTTLED BY AN UPTURN IN THE ECONOMY, MR CHAN ADDED, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TRY QUANTITATIVE CONTROL INSTEAD OF FURTHER TAX INCREASE +WHICH MIGHT BE MORE SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT AROUSING THE DISCONTENT OF THE MOTOR ING PUBLIC AND GENERATING INFLATION+.
IN THIS RESPECT, HE SUGGESTED THE FOLLOWING COURSES OF
ACTION:
THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF NEW REGISTRATION PERMITTED IN ANY ONE YEAR-
* OLD PRIVATE CARS MAY BE REPLACED BY NEW ONES ON A ONE-TO-
ONE BASIS-
*
A PRIORITY LIST FOR APPLICANTS, BASED ON NEEDS, SHOULD BE COMPILED AND
* AFTER SATISFYING THOSE IN THE PRIORITY LIST, THE BALANCE
SHOULD THEN BE ALLOCATED BY BALLOTING TO NON-ESSENTI AL USER-APPLICANTS WITHOUT PRIVATE CARS.
THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG SUGGESTED THAT IF FURTHER RESTRAINT MEASURES WERE NECESSARY, THEY SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF DIRECT RESTRAINTS RATHER THAN FISCAL DEVICES.
HE NOTED THAT CAR OWNERSHIP WAS SOMETHING HONG KONG'S EMERGING AND INCREASINGLY AFFLUENT MIDDLE-CLASS ASPIRED TO.
+BECAUSE OF THIS I HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE WISDOM OF FURTHER TAXING VEHICLE OWNERSHIP, HE SAID.
+ IT IS, I FEEL, A MEASURE THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN AFFORD TO DO ONCE, BUT IT IS NOT A MEASURE THAT THE GOVERNMENT COULD AFFORD TO REPEAT GIVEN THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ART OF THE
POSSIBLE.+
HE BELIEVED THAT THE ONLY TRULY EFFECTIVE WAY OF CONTAINING THE PROBLEM WAS TO PLACE A LIMIT ON FUTURE GROWTH.
+WHILST I HASTEN TO AGREE THAT THE PROBLEMS OF ALLOCATION WOULD PRESENT GREAT DIFFICULTIES, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SUGGESTION TO GOVERNMENT THAT PRIORITY BE GIVEN IMMEDIATELY TO ADDRESSING THESE DIFFICULTIES.+
TURNING TO THE ARGUMENT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOT SPENT ENOUGH TO IMPROVE THE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, MR CHEONG POINTED OUT THAT OVER $30 BILLION HAD BEEN EARMARKED FOR OFF-THE-ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TRANSPORT SYSTEMS FOR 1982-83.
HE ALSO NOTED THAT IN THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD FROM 1976-77 TO 1980-81, THE GOVERNMENT HAD SPENT AN AVERAGE OF $66 000 ON ONE PUBLIC HOUSING UNIT, COMPARED WITH $37 000 FOR EVERY ADDITIONAL VEHICLE REGISTERED IN THE SAME PERIOD.