TNAG-1575-FCO40-2148-Housing-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 53

effectiveness, I think the proposed policy against 'well-off

tenants' is in fact a waste of resources and one which would bring

Instead of using oppressive and negative in more losses than gains. means to impel the so-called 'well-off tenants' to move out of their public housing units, I think it would be better to use positive and persuasive methods to encourage them to purchase HOS flats and vacate their units voluntarily.

The proposed domestic rent policy at least gives rise to

the following problems:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(a)

the proposal that a median rent-income ratio of not more than 15% was reasonable' carries the implication that the rent-income ratio of about 50% households will exceed 15% and that the lower the household income, the higher will be its rent to income ratio. Indeed, those who are actually most in need have now become the victims of the policy.

policy reasonable?

Therefore, is this

the stipulated 15% is too close to the rental level of private housing and is therefore against the original principle of the public housing scheme;

Regarding tenants' affordability, the arguments put

In view of the forward in the Report are not sound. high rental level of private housing and the poor living environment of squatter huts, who would be willing to give up the chance of living in public housing units? and

the comparison with rental levels in other foreign countries can hardly be used as a supporting argument because different societies have different social

welfare systems. An one-sided comparison would only

be too arbitrary.