XN000022-1994-10-10 — Page 3

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1994

SO WE ARE MAKING, I THINK, PROGRESS IN THOSE AREAS. I BELIEVE THAT BEHIND ALL THAT IT'S IMPORTANT то ENSURE THAT THOSE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE EQUALITY OF RESPECT AS WELL AS EQUALITY OF CARE. AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE GOING TO LEGISLATE IN THE COMING SESSION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE DISABLED WHICH I THINK HAS NO PART IN A CIVILISED COMMUNITY LIKE HONG KONG.

WE TURN NEXT TO THE QUESTION OF TAX ALLOWANCES, THERE ARE TWO FEATURES OF HONG KONG'S TAX SYSTEM WHICH IMMEDIATELY STRIKE OUTSIDERS. THE FIRST IS THAT OUR TAX SYSTEM IS EXTREMELY SIMPLE. IT'S NOT ON THE WHOLE HUNG ABOUT WITH DIFFERENT ALLOWANCES AND CONCESSIONS. AND, SECOND, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THAT FIRST POINT OF SIMPLICITY, WE ACTUALLY PAY VERY LOW RATES OF TAX. GETTING AFTER THE LAST COUPLE OF BUDGETS, GETTING ON FOR 60 PER CENT OF THOSE WHO ARE IN WORK DON'T PAY SALARIES TAX AT ALL AND ONLY 2 PER CENT OF THE WORKING POPULATION PAY THE TOP RATE OF TAX OF 15 PER CENT, SO THAT IT MAY BE THOUGHT BY SOME THAT TAX ALLOWANCES WITH SUCH A LOW LEVEL OF TAX WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE THE BEST WAY OF HELPING THOSE WITH DISABILITY. I AM SURE THAT THERE WERE SOME WHO WOULD SAY YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING MORE AT THE CSSA RATES FOR THE DISABLED. YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING MORE AT THE GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THINGS LIKE WHEEL CHAIRS AND PROSTHETIC DEVICES RATHER THAN LOOKING AT THOSE WHO WERE PAYING SALARIES TAX AND WHO MIGHT GET SOME SORT OF CONCESSION.

NEVERTHELESS,

I WILL ENSURE THAT THAT PARTICULAR PROPOSAL IS BROUGHT то THE ATTENTION OF THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY AS HE THINKS ABOUT HIS NEXT BUDGET. IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED I KNOW AT SOME OF OUR SUMMITS IN THE PAST. YOU PUT A SERIOUS ARGUMENT ABOUT IT AND WE WILL GIVE IT THE SERIOUSNESS IT DESERVES. I HAVE TO SAY THAT ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I THINK WE HAVE AS A COMMUNITY MADE PROGRESS IN DEVELOPING SERVICES FOR THE DISABLED IS BECAUSE THE INTEREST GROUPS, THE LOBBIES, WHICH ARGUE THE CASE FOR THE DISABLED HAVE DONE SO WITH CONSIDERABLE ELOQUENCE AND INTELLIGENCE AND I THINK THAT'S HELPED THEIR CAUSE NO END. THANKS VERY MUCH.

QUESTION:

AS WE APPROACH 1997, THE CHINESE LANGUAGE IS GOING TO BECOME MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT IN HONG KONG. MANY FIRMS REQUIRE APPLICANTS TO BE FLUENT IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE, NOT ONLY THE SPOKEN

BUT ALSO PART

THE WRITTEN AND READING PART OF

IT.

I KNOW THAT GOVERNMENT IS UNDERGOING PLANS TO PROPOSE, SORT OF A LEVEL OF CHINESE BEFORE YOU CAN HAVE GOVERNMENT JOBS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE REQUIREMENT THE GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS IS, THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE FOR THE MINORITIES. AS YOU WELL KNOW, MANY MINORITIES IN HONG KONG MAY SPEAK THE LANGUAGE BUT THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO WRITE CHINESE OR READ CHINESE, WHICH PUTS THEM AT A VERY SERIOUS DISADVANTAGE. FOR

THE GOVERNMENT IS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN HONG KONG EXAMPLE,

AND IF THERE ARE PROPOSALS TO HAVE A MINIMUM CHINESE REQUIREMENT, THIS WOULD MEAN THAT THE MINORITIES WOULD BE BARRED FROM HAVING GOVERNMENT JOBS. THE MINORITIES IN HONG KONG ARE INCREASING. I MEAN WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL I WAS TAUGHT THAT 99% OF THE POPULATION IS CHINESE BUT NOW, THESE DAYS, MORE THAN 1% OF THE POPULATION ARE FILIPINOS, AND THE OVERALL MINORITY POPULATION IS, I THINK, ABOUT TWO TO THREE PER CENT. WHEN I SAY 'MINORITY', YOU MAY ASK ME: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A MINORITY? TO ME, I FEEL THAT A MINORITY IS A PERSON WHO I MEAN ONLY THE INDIANS AND PAKISTANIS, SRI LANKANS AND SO ON, BUT ALSO BRITISH, NEW ZEALANDERS, CANADIANS, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

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