TNAG-1359-FCO40-1800-Executive-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-meet-1985 — Page 64

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"the additional expenditure is a small amount in

monetary terms, constituting only a small percentage of the operation cost of the hawkers" and that "this would not cause undue hardship to individual hawkers". We regret that we find this unacceptable.

The Government now adopts the policy of revising the fees annually at a smaller percentage in order to avoid the much higher percentage of increase that might be necessary if the fees are revised at longer intervals. But the increase is now set at a high rate as 35%. This is no a small adjustment. Instead, it is a substantial increase. In view of the hawkers' present situation, this will certainly cause much hardship to their operations. If the increase rate is not lowered, the hawkers under such heavy burden will have to raise the retail prices and the wurden will oe shifted to the general public. This chain reaction will result in inflation and people's livelihood will be affected.

It was stated in your letter that "even after the introduction of the new fees, deficit incurred by the control of licensed hawking in the NT will remain." We are of the opinion that NTSD should adopt an overall policy in the allocation of administrative expenditures surplus items should be used to offset deficit items so as to maintain a balanced account. Furthermore, as the Regional Council is to be set up Bome time in the near future, the policies on NT services can be left to the new machinery to conduct an overall review and planning, based on public opinions, so as to reduce chances of erring in policy making.

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