XN000022-1985-11-27 — Page 37

WEDNESDAY,

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TRAINING FOR IN-HOUSE PROFESSIONALS URGED

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A LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR SUGGESTED TODAY THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SET UP ITS OWN TRAINING UNIT TO TRAIN IN-HOUSE INVESTIGATING ACCOUNTANTS AND LAWYERS TO SERVE VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS,

SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL POLICY DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE HON PETER POON SAID THIS COULD SAVE THE HIGH COSTS OF INVESTIGATING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES AND CRIMES BY ENGAGING OUTSIDE PROFESSIONALS.

HE SAID HE DID NOT AGREE WITH THE ARGUMENT THAT +WHAT THE GOVERNMENT TRAINS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR WILL GRAB+.

+OUR UNIVERSITIES, POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS AND POLYTECHNICS ARE TURNING OUT MORE ACCOUNTING AND LAW GRADUATES AND MANY SUCH GRADUATES FROM OVERSEAS ARE RETURNING TO HONG KONG AS THE IR PROSPECTS ELSEWHERE ARE GENERALLY NOT AS GOOD AS IN HONG KONG. THERE IS THEREFORE NO LACK OF TALENT TO BE TRAINED.

+CERTAIN LOSSES OF THESE PERSONNEL ARE INEVITABLE BUT TO UOTE AN EXAMPLE, THE INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT OF THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRAINED A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF HIGHLY COMPETENT AND EFFICIENT ACCOUNTANTS TO INVESTIGATE TAX EVASION AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO RETAIN MOST LF SUCH STAFF,+ HE SAID.

THE PROPOSED TRAINING SCHEME WAS DEFINITELY WORTH LOOKING INTO AS THERE WERE LIKELY TO BE A NUMBER OF COMMERCIAL CRIMES OR OTHER ASSIGNMENTS EACH YEAR WHICH WOULD JUSTIFY THE NEW POSTS, *R POON ADDED.

ON TAXATION, MR POON SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO HEAR THAT GOVERNMENT WAS IN AGREEMENT WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ON THE NEED FOR A SIMPLE AND EQUITABLE TAXATION.

HOWEVER, HE SAID THIS DID NOT MEAN THAT WE SHOULD LIVE WITH TAX LEGISLATION WHICH WAS RELATIVELY EASY TO AVOID.

+ IF THERE ARE LOOPHOLES WHICH CAUSE LOSS OF REVENUE WHICH SHOULD PROPERLY BE DUE TO GOVERNMENT, THEY NEED TO BE PLUGGED QUICKLY.

+! THEREFORE STRONGLY SUPPORT THE INTRODUCTION OF ADEQUATE ANTI-AVOIDANCE LEGISLATION AT AN EARLY DATE,+ HE ADDED.

HE SAID IF SUCH LEGISLATION WAS PASSED, THE INLAND REVENUE DEPARTMENT WOULD NEED A STRONG TEAM OF ASSESSORS, EXPERT AND EXPERIENCED IN ANTI-AVOIDANCE LEGISLATION.

/MK POON

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