TNAG-1727-FCO40-2440-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 54

1

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

11

12

for

separate

For the sake of record, I wish to point out that the first written representation from the OMELCO Taxation Panel urging

taxation, was

submitted $to the Financial Secretary in February 1987. And this was followed by personal visit to the Financial Secretary by the Honourable Peter POON, Convenor of the panel, and myself, to convey the strength of the panel's views. Our views and requests were

12 Lve

made known to the Financial Secretary twelve months in advance of the present Budget. The representation referred to by the Financial Secretary, I suppose, must be the second one.

going

hon.

Are we to believe that the Financial Secretary and his top aides have forgotten about the first representation? I 14 suppose not. Is it possible that they did not hear the twelve /2

13

15 councillors on the 18 March 1987/ urging for separate

三

16

17

18

taxation in this Council, The

The speeches of three Members on

人

5 November 1987, along the same lines and Not to mention the le

10

speeches in the past ten years in this Council, asking for the 19 same thing?

20

22

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

23

24

25

21 The Financial Secretary referred to the complexity and difficulty in ensuring broadly equitable treatment in separate taxation. We know what they are, because they have been referred to many times by the top assistants of the Financial Secretary. But many, like me, remain unconvinced that such

difficulties should necessarily delay -the

implementation for two years.

In order to understand the

practical difficulties the Taxation Panel requested

for

26

27

28

Le 29

30

31

technical

و

The

29 December 1987 a paper outlining such difficulties.

Administration undertook to prepare such a Paper. When the Panel met with the Administration two months later, there was paper. Nor could the Administration clearly indicate

32

33

34

35

36

по

The whole episode

whether they had started working on this.

is So out of character from the usual efficiency of the

Administration that I cannot help wondering if such delay and

lack of response may be associated with the personal