THERE ARE NOW 5 000 LICENSED HAWKERS AND PITCH TRADERS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES COMPARED WITH 7 300 TWO YEARS AGO. NOT ALL F THESE WERE ACTUALLY TRADING, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, AS SOME HOLDERS OF ITINERANT HAWKER LICENCES HAD OTHER JOBS AND DID NOT CARRY ON BUSINESS AS HAWKERS.
THE DECREASE OF LICENSED NT HAWKERS AND ON-STREET PITCH OPERATORS DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT MANY OF THEM HAD MOVED INTO NEW MARKETS AND COOKED FOOD MARKETS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
REFERRING TO THE REVISION OF FEES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT IT WOULD BE THE LONG-TERM AIM TO COVER THE FULL COST TO THE PUBLIC OF ADMINISTERING THE LICENSING SYSTEM AND MANAGING AND CLEANSING LICENSED HAWKER AREAS, WHICH STOOD AT AROUND $17 MILLION.
THE PRESENT INCREASES, WHICH WOULD BRING IN A TOTAL REVENUE OF ABOUT $5 MILLION, MUST BE SEEN AS A REASONABLE STEP IN THAT DIRECTION.
THE LEVEL OF FEES WOULD BE REVIEWED ANNUALLY, AND EVERY EFFORT WOULD BE MADE TO KEEP THE LICENSING AND OTHER COSTS DOWN TO A MINIMUM, HE SAID.
WITH THE FEE INCREASE. IT WOULD COST A COOKED FOOD STALL OPERATOR $5.5 MORE THAN THE OLD FEE EACH DAY, 40 CENTS TO $1.24 MORE FOR A FIXED PITCH TRADER AND 13 CENTS TO 38 CENTS MORE FOR AN ITINERANT HAWKER DEPENDING ON THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRADE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
THE AMOUNT OF THE INCREASE IN MONEY TERMS WAS THUS SMALL, HE ADDED.
THE SPOKESMAN REVEALED THAT A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE DEPARTMENT LAST YEAR INDICATED THAT THE AVERAGE COOKED FOOD STALL OPERATOR IN THE NEW TERRITORIES EARNED A PROFIT OF $5 980 A MONTH.
THE AVERAGE EARNING OF A FIXED PITCH TRADER WAS AT ABOUT $2 810 WHILE AN ITINERANT HAWKER NETTED $2 190.
THE LICENCE AND PITCH FEE INCREASES SHOULD HAVE LITTLE EFFECT ON THE LIVELIHOOD OF MOST HAWKERS, THE SPOKESMAN CONCLUDED.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE REVISED AND OLD FEES OF VARIOUS HAWKER LICENCES AND PITCHES:
OLD FEES
NEW FEES
(1) FIXED PITCH HAWKER LICENCES
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