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Start land departure tax: Exco member
By Susan Shiu A business leader is pushing for a land departure tax to be introduced this year. "We are only talking about $20 for land departure tax. We already pay tax when leaving the airport," Executive Council member Henry Tang Ying-yen said. He said the tax was fair and it was appropriate to introduce it in the 2000-01 financial year. But Mr Tang said people who had to work or study across the border should be exempt. He believed the chances of a sales tax being introduced this year were slim. Such a levy would take a long time to legislate and there would not be much time for debate before the Budget was announced in March, he said. Mr Tang said Financial Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen should propose a public discussion on the sales tax in the Budget. It is understood that Mr Tsang will announce a sales tax in March. Christine Loh Kung-wai of the Citizens Party backed the introduction of a sales tax and
said on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong such a tax would probably be imposed, if not in the
coming Budget, then within one or two years. |
