WONESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1984
- EQUALLY THESE WERE A SOURCE OF ANXIETY TO BUSINESSMEN AND WORRYING - THEY WERE CONTRARY TO THE MANNER IN WHICH TAXATION HAD ALWAYS BEEN HANDLED IN HONG KONG.
+MEMBERS WILL BE AWARE THAT IN SOME COUNTRIES THE TAX LAWS ARE NOW SO COMPLICATED THAT MANY PEOPLE CANNOT EVEN FILL OUT THE FORMS FOR THEIR PERSONAL ASSESSMENT WITHOUT ASSISTANCE, + MR WU SAID.
IN SUCH PLACES TAX CONSULTANTS HAD BECOME A MAJOR INDUSTRY IN THEIR OWN RIGHT BECAUSE IT HAD BECOME A FULL-TIME JOB KEEPING UP WITH THE LATEST AMENDMENTS AND THE LOOPHOLES THAT COULD BE MADE IN THEM.
+SUCH A SITUATION NEGATES ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY THAT GOVERNMENTS ARE SET UP TO SERVE THE PEOPLE, NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND,+ MR WU DECLARED,
+UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE DISTURBING SIGNS THAT RECENT TAX LEGISLATION IN HONG KONG, AND SOME THAT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED, CAN QUICKLY UNDERMINE OUR ENTIRE ECONOMY BECAUSE IF IT BECOMES ESTABLISHED COMPANIES WILL MOVE THEIR FUNDS AWAY FROM HONG KONG,
+THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN HERE,+ HE URGED.
TURNING TO THE LANGUAGE ISSUE, MR WU SAID IT WAS ENCOURAGING THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS EXAMINING THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY ON THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION CONCERNING PRODUCTION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS WRITTEN IN CHINESE.
+HOWEVER, HE SAID, I AM SLIGHTLY DISAPPOINTED THAT NO INDICATION WAS GIVEN OF THE GOVERNMENT'S VIEW ON THE PROPOSED CHINESE LANGUAGE FOUNDATION'S BROADER OBJECTIVE, NAMELY TO PROMOTE AND FACILITATE THE BETTER USE OF CHINESE AS A TOOL OF COMMUNICATION, STUDY, WORK AND LEISURE THROUGH VARIOUS PROMOTIONAL, RESEARCH AND PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES, INVOLVING NOT ONLY SCHOOLS BUT ALSO THE MASS MEDIA AND THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.+
HE ASKED THAT, WHILE PRODUCTION OF SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS SHOULD BE GIVEN TOP PRIORITY BECAUSE OF ITS RELEVANCE TO THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN SCHOOLS, THE OTHER PROPOSED ACTIVITIES OF THE FOUNDATION SHOULD ALSO BE SUPPORTED AND GIVEN EQUAL EMPHASIS BECAUSE THEY WERE COMPLEMENTARY TO EACH OTHER AND TOGETHER WERE BENEFICIAL TO THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG.
MR WU ALSO MENTIONED THE ACADEMY FOR PERFORMING ARTS AND THE PROGRESS WHICH HAD BEEN MADE SINCE ENROLMENT OF ITS FIRST DANCE AND MUSIC STUDENTS LAST MONTH. THE VERY LARGE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS AND THE HIGH STANDARD OF ACHIEVEMENT AND POTENTIAL OF THOSE ACCEPTED CONFIRMED HIS VIEW THAT THERE EXISTED A RICH WELL-SPRING OF PERFORMING TALENT AMONG THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
HE SAID