本帖最後由 felicity2010 於 2012-12-1 06:25 AM 編輯 % v2 p: l# i0 T! f& @/ _" O / o- d# F" `' A" c$ GStephen Brown: Interfere No More公仔箱論壇1 Q5 N5 v% V, f3 E) @1 [
2012年11月29日# s" Y I5 E. n1 M/ x
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The last few weeks have seen the continued stagnation of the Leung Administration,as policy initiatives stumble and as the Administration seems unable to manage a united front.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb' u& o; g( x2 Z' Z
% F' h2 }& |9 e, C$ A, ~+ [/ C公仔箱論壇Some of the events that have undermined the Administration have been self inflicted,while others, such as appointing an investment banker to Exco whose qualification seemed to be that he owned 27 properties must be seen by the public as being downright stupid. 6 p( Y$ e. c4 k; L; i* u& kTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。But,despite these ups and downs, the real problem is the fact that we are still not clear about what C.Y. Leung and his team stand for, which became an even bigger issue when he decided to push back the Policy Address to early 2013. 7 A! x6 m5 }0 x% r z公仔箱論壇公仔箱論壇4 e& b9 k: }3 H3 E- q% |* a @
Looking at moves such as those to support the less well off, it is not clear if this is a portent of more social expenditure going forward, or if there is going to be some universal integration of benefits so that those people who are not able to gain access to public housing, for example, are not substantially dis-advantaged.5.39.217.760 \2 r6 |' a, [/ D. Q; H* F
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Similarly,we have seen an Administration that has been harping on about Mainland integration while, at the same time, having to heed the cries of the local populace and starts putting in administrative measures to halt the one-way torrent of people coming across the border. 6 V; K; ~ `4 p% j# K) z b9 z" d4 x
And where does this Administration stand on economic policy? We have no clue either here, from what I can see. The portents here are not good, however. ' F7 T' U* l* S4 C1 K2 }5.39.217.76The clumsy intervention into the property market by penalizing those who are not Hong Kong abode holders is not a smart move. / U; u: W/ R1 Mtvb now,tvbnow,bttvb 1 x2 ?: G; d9 Q$ [$ Y' a3 eFirst off, it does not, as a Government spokesman stated at the time, give a preference to those that are committed to Hong Kong. It merely gives a benefit to those that have the right of abode here.5.39.217.76( `. v2 V( M% n( f; D& ^
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For instance, my two grown up children benefit from their residency status for all sorts of things, including avoiding the latest stamp duty measures, though they only irregularly return from overseas where they are students.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb A0 W7 O) h5 h# z, y; I2 K& d
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They qualify for HOS and PRH public housing units because, as students, they still have no income; they can come back for free health care and later in life retire here and get the public to pick up the bill. And, of course,non-resident holders of the right of abode can sit across the border and use our educational and other services every day- for free. ) l. u; d: i3 htvb now,tvbnow,bttvb( K$ c( `& c3 R& R$ |7 Y
This nonsensical stamp duty discrimination highlights just how wrong the Government is when it adjudges the right of abode to be the basis for receiving free public sector goods and services, irrespective of the ordinary residency of the people claiming the benefit.& m+ k$ f) a# ]# r D6 P
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Secondly,and more importantly, what the random stamp duty initiative undoubtedly does do is send a message to all around the world that policy in Hong Kong in relation to assets, their price levels and investment overall will in future be subject to ad hoc Government measures, as and when they see fit. Will they put a capital gains tax on stock transactions if the Hang Seng Index soars? % ~* l+ i5 k% B0 {+ n) i5.39.217.76% _( `1 r1 N8 g2 b, ]. X$ E
And then, finally, when it comes to the punitive taxation of property transactions,reducing liquidity in the major domestic asset market, and one that is used for funding all sorts of economic activities and which is a key component of household balance-sheets, is simply not smart. * |7 p" I) |2 s5 E/ O8 S . [/ I8 @. n1 {5.39.217.76We needed the meat put on the bones of the Chief Executive’ s Election Manifesto,but we are now months on from the election and the skeleton is still the only thing you can find in the shop window./ q1 M: a- R% A) C- _% q, j
& n3 \5 z/ w- d$ m$ e7 P公仔箱論壇You do not have to be an evangelical Republican to believe that excessive government interference is not the way to go, but the early signs are that we will get more frequent and increasingly dis-jointed policy initiatives that simply compound the perceived problems that they seek to address.9 `- ~0 P5 Z/ _: O1 Q
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In reality, C.Y. Leung just needs to do one or two simple things as a start: give the people of Hong Kong a break and start to solve a few issues with clear structural reforms,and stand back. How about for a start giving public housing away to its occupants and making sure that only those who have been ordinarily resident for seven years can get on the public sector gravy train.6 p: @& c! ]% b% E+ Q1 z; b4 q
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0 t) Q9 \ d( U: x0 e公仔箱論壇Stephen Brown is a director of the Civic Exchange, a Hong Kong-based think tank
