TNAG-1772-FCO40-25242-Business-and-financial-legislation-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-2-of-2-1988 — Page 215

C28

DUTIABLE COMMODITIES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1988

2. For the purpose of applying the duty under paragraph 1(a) a cigarette more than 90 mm long, excluding any filter or mouthpiece, shall be treated as if each additional 90 mm or portion of 90 mm were a separate cigarette.”.

Explanatory Memorandum

The main purpose of this Bill is to amend Part II of the Schedule to the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance to remove the duty now payable on a weight basis on the import of unmanufactured tobacco and cigarettes and to replace it with a duty payable per 1,000 cigarettes. The rates for the other items in the Schedule are unchanged.

2. Section 66 of the Ordinance is repealed because it is now obsolete.

3. The proposed rate is intended to be revenue neutral as regards the overall duty paid on the products released to the local market. The change is likely to result in a reduction in the duty revenue collected in the current financial year by some $550 million. This figure represents the duty that, on the weight based system, would have been collected but paid back, in respect of exported cigarettes, to manufacturers in 1989. In the next financial year, revenue will not be distorted by prepayments and drawbacks.

4.

This Bill has no Public Service staffing or public expenditure

implications.

1988年應課稅品(修訂)條例草案

摘要說明

本條例草案主要目的,在修訂應課稅品條例附表第II部條文,從而把 現時輸港的未經製煉煙葉和香煙按重量繳稅的規定撤銷,改為按每1,000根香煙數 量繳稅。附表內其他項目的稅率則維持不變

。

2. 原有條例第66條業已過時,現予廢止。

3. 該擬議稅率並非旨在使行銷本港市場產品的總體稅收有所增損。這項稅 率的改變,可能導致本財政年度的税收看似減少約5億5千萬元。這數字表示政府 在1989年如按重量徵稅制度課稅則可能會多收,但同時卻退還製造商的税款。在 對下一個財政年度裏,税收將不會因預付稅款及收回已付税款等措施而致實況看似 有所歪曲。

4. 本草案對政府開支和人手需求方面都没有影響