ENG-2006 — Page 28

viii | Calendar of Events in 2006

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The Financial Secretary announces that the Government will no longer advocate the Goods and Services Tax, but will continue the public consultation on other options for broadening of the tax base.

A restoration project of the Liu Ying Lung Study Hall, coordinated by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the LCSD and the Restoration Committee of Hin Shing Tong, wins an Honourable Mention in the 2006 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards

Culture Heritage Conservation.

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The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill 2006 is passed by the Legislative Council, imposing heavier fines of up to $200,000 plus three years in prison for cruelty against animals.

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 closes, following a busy week which saw some 62 000 participants from more than 140 countries converge on Hong Kong for the event.

The Election Committee Subsector Elections are conducted to return members to constitute a new term Election Committee which will choose the third term Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive opens the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum in Castle Road, Central.

The World Trade Organisation commends Hong Kong for its open and free trade policy at a meeting held in Geneva to review trade policies. A participant in the review, Ambassador Mario Matus of Chile, describes Hong Kong as a 'jewel of the crown of free trade'.

The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approves the funding for the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme which entails an additional $2 billion spending per year upon full implementation to ensure continued enhancement of the quality of the pre-primary sector.

Hong Kong athletes return to the territory bringing back a record 28 medals six gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze from the 15th Asian Games in Doha.

The Hong Kong Shue Yan University becomes the first private university in Hong Kong.

The Centre for Food Safety launches the voluntary egg importer enrolment scheme to better regulate the sale of poultry eggs in Hong Kong.