XN000022-1995-07-21 — Page 8

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Government's final accounts for 1994-1995

The Government's final accounts for the financial year 1994-95, which ended on 31 March, 1995, were published today (Friday) in the Gazette.

Total revenue for the year was $175.0 billion compared to the revised estimate of $173.5 billion given in the 1995 Budget Speech. Total expenditure was $164.2 billion against a revised estimate of $165.8 billion.

A government spokesman said: "The additional revenue reflected the effect of higher interest rates in the final quarter of the year which had boosted the investment earnings on the fiscal reserves, together with higher than anticipated receipts from Stamp Duty following the increase in property transactions around the Lunar New Year."

The underspending of $1.6 billion, (about 1% of the revised estimate) is made up of a number of minor variances.

As a result, the overall surplus for 1994-95 was $10.8 billion. This brings the total fiscal reserves to $151.0 billion at March 31, 1995.

End/Friday, July 21, 1995

More endangered species added to protection list

A number of amendments have been made to the schedules to the Animals and Plants (Protection of Endangered Species) Ordinance to revise the list of species which are subject to licensing control.

Among the species newly added to the control list are hippopotamus, saiga antelope and agar wood which are traded in Hong Kong.

An Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD) spokesman today (Friday) said the amendments were made following decisions reached at a conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) last November.