and so on.
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marginal rate, etc.
I believe that all these new
arrangements will help to ease the tax burden of the middle-income group.
The only drawback, Sir, is that the Financial Secretary
has not given any definite answer to the request for
separate taxation for married couples or make any
commitment in this respect. We should be aware that
separate taxation does not only serve the purposes of
bringing improvements to our tax system and promoting
the work force, it also has great social significance
in helping to establish women's social status. There is a popular demand for introducing separate taxation in Hong Kong and many other tax administrations are also moving towards this direction. The introduction of
Wife.
working wives' allowance as an expedient measure is not a bad idea but it definitely should not take the place of separate taxation. I would like to take this opportunity to urge the early implementation of separate taxation in the next financial year. Even
though it may not be technically feasible to implement separate taxation within a short while, the Government
should make a clear commitment on the exact date of such implementation.
Secondly, regarding the adjustment of the ratio between direct and indirect taxes, I agree that there should not be any dogmatic or absolute ratio between these two kinds
of taxes. The ratio adopted should be in line with the
changes of our community. As there is substantial surplus in our public finances at present, there doeshot seem to be any urgent need. for a wider tax base. The proposed sales tax in the absence of proper arrangements even if introduced at the wholesales level, would bring heavy increases to the tax burden of the general public.
However, if the Financial Secretary's proposal for sales
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