FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1988
7
FS VISITS INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT
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THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR PIERS JACOBS, CALLED AT THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT AT WINDSOR HOUSE, CAUSEWAY BAY THIS (FRIDAY) AFTERNOON ΤΟ GET FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE OF ITS DAILY OPERATIONS.
OF
HE WAS FIRST GIVEN AN IN-DEPTH BRIEFING BY THE COMMISSIONER INLAND REVENUE, MR ANTHONY AU YEUNG, ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT.
MR AU YEUNG THEN SHOWED HIM AROUND THE COLLECTION HALL AND THE CENTRAL ENQUIRY COUNTER TO SEE STAFF AT WORK.
WAS
MR JACOBS LEARNED THAT THE CENTRAL ENQUIRY COUNTER, WHICH SET UP IN APRIL THIS YEAR, HAD FACILITATED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN OBTAINING TAX INFORMATION DIRECT FROM A CENTRALISED LOCATION.
THE COUNTER IS AT PRESENT HANDLING ENQUIRIES AND REQUESTS MADE
BY AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 1,500 VISITORS A DAY.
JUNE ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT, PAYROLL FIGURES RELEASED
IN JUNE 1988, THE AVERAGE
VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST FIRMS IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR REMAINED AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL AS IN MAY 1988, BUT SHOWED A DECREASE OF 3 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JUNE 1987.
THIS IS SHOWN BY THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
ON EMPLOYMENT, THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED REPORTED THAT THE JUNE 1988 LEVEL WAS 3 PER CENT ABOVE THAT IN MAY 1988, BUT WAS LOWER BY 5 PER CENT COMPARED WITH JUNE 1987. THE INCREASE OVER MAY 1988 WAS MAINLY DUE TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF SUMMER WORKERS IN SOME INDUSTRIES SURVEYED.
FIRMS
IN JUNE 1988, PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN THE MANUFACTURING SURVEYED DECREASED, IN CURRENT PRICE TERMS, BY 2 PER CENT COMPARED WITH MAY 1988, PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE LOWER WAGES OF SUMMER WORKERS. ON THE ORDER HAND, AN INCREASE OF 15 PER CENT IN PER CAPITA EARNINGS WAS RECORDED WHEN COMPARED WITH JUNE 1987.
/COMPARING JUNE