CO129-328 - Governor Nathan - 1905 [1-6] — Page 241

0.76.

No.

Hongkong.

C.O.

13012

Prd 20 APR 05!

Government House,

Hongkong, 17th. March, 1905.

236

sir.

70

1104

I have the honour to acknowledge the re-

ceipt of your Despatch No. 10 dated the 17th. January, 1905,

in the 3rd. paragraph of which you call for my views as to

the desirability of introducing in Hongkong legislation to

enable some tax to be levied on property held by trusts and

institutions to compensate the Government for the fact that

succession duty cannot be levied on such property.

2.

I assume that the scope of such legisla-

tion if enacted should exclude trading corporations where

capital stock is so divided and held as to be liable to pro-

bate duty. The fairness of this exclusion was set forth in the

minute of the Acting Attorney-General of the Straits Settle-

ments which was transmitted in Sir John Swettenham's Despatch

You

19348

•No.

206 dated the 9th. May, 1901.

3.

Immovable property which is the site of

or is occupied in connection with a place of worship, school

or other building appropriated to Ecclesiastical or Charitable

purposes would also be exempted.

4.

With these exemptions there would practic-

- aliy

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

&C..

ALFRED LYTTELTON, K.C., M.P.,

80 ..

8cc...