XN000022-1988-11-10 — Page 22

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1988

21

LEGACIES WERE MANY OF

REGULATIONS THESE COLONIAL REGULATIONS WHICH WERE NO LONGER APPLICABLE KONG, HE SAID.

OF THE

ΤΟ

MODERN

OUTDATED HONG

URGED

THE GOVERNMENT

TO MAINTAIN THE LAV IN ADDITION, MR

TO PRESENT TAX LEVEL BECAUSE HONG KONG'S PAST SUCCESS WAS LARGELY DUE THE LOW TAX POLICY.

"WE MAY WIDEN OUR TAX NET BUT MUST KEEP OUR STANDARD AROUND THE PRESENT LEVEL,

r

HE SAID.

TAX RATE

LABOUR SHORTAGE DELAYING MAJOR PROJECTS

*

THE LABOUR SHORTAGE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS VERY AND IS SERIOUSLY DELAYING MAJOR PROJECTS, THE HON JAMES MCGREGOR IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY).

LARGE SAID

MR MCGREGOR SAID

THERE

HAD, IN FACT,

FOR HONG KONG

IMPROVE TO EMPLOYERS

BEEN A MANY

CERTAIN CLASSES OF LABOUR IN SHORTAGE HAD COMPELLED PRODUCTIVITY WITH NEW EQUIPMENT, HIGHER AND BY MOVING UP-MARKET.

OF SHORTAGE

AND YEARS,

THIS PLANT AND WORKER AUTOMATION, BETTER TRAINING

FOR

HIGH AND RELIEF BY MOVING

IN RECENT LOWER-END

YEARS PRODUCTION

HOWEVER, MR MCGREGOR SAID IN THE POLICY DEBATE, THE DEMAND HONG KONG

REMAINED PRODUCTS HAD MANUFACTURERS HAD OBTAINED INTO CHINA.

BUT NOT

INDUSTRIES MANY TO "THIS HAS BEEN MOST HELPFUL

WHICH, BECAUSE OF THE EXPORT PARTICULARLY TO THE GARMENT INDUSTRY QUOTA RULES OF ORIGIN, MUST PRODUCE IN HONG KONG," HE SAID.

CHINA

ELSE

SAID COULD NOT OTHER ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIES WHICH HE

INDUSTRY OR ANYWHERE

WERE THE CONSTRUCTION

WERE WORK CATEGORIES TOURIST/HOTEL INDUSTRIES WHERE MANY UNDERSTAFFED.

1

TO MOVE AND THE SERIOUSLY

RELAX ITS

THAT

IT COULD GOVERNMENT DID NOT FEEL THAT NOTING THE PRESENT POLICY ON IMPORTED CONTRACT LABOUR, MR MCGREGOR BELIEVED A VERY STRONG CASE EXISTED AND WOULD CONTINUE TO EXIST FOR THE TO BE MODIFIED IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMY.

"AT THE VERY LEAST, A START COULD BE MADE WITH CONTRACT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WHERE MANY THOUSANDS OF WORKERS NEEDED, HE SAID.

1

POLICY

LABOUR MAY BE

/MR MCGREGOR