The tired ritual known as the policy address probably hit rock bottom in Donald Tsang’s time. Like Carrie Lam in later years, he was a bureaucrat good at implementing policies but devoid of any ideas on crafting them. That said, he did oversee a badly needed boost to health spending. He forced developers to reveal the true size of new apartments rather than count hallways as interior square feet (though he shoveled lots of benefits their way too, like incentives for ‘luxury’ features like clubhouses.) And he introduced a five-day week for civil servants – a measure copied by the private-sector, much to the relief of white-collar workers who had long dozed in the office on Saturday mornings. He also grudgingly approved some conservation projects (like at Central Market), moaning about the loss of revenue to the government. Otherwise, it was just infrastructure white-elephants.
With today’s administration run by former cops, maybe there are even fewer ideas floating around. Thus we have a leak on reducing tax on spirits. The theory is that bar-owners will cut prices, thus reviving tourism and nightlife, and boosting GDP into the stratosphere…
One approach the government is considering is a tiered system whereby more expensive spirits would be taxed less, one of the [sources] said. It’s thought that could boost spending on premium liquor among a higher value type of clientele while discouraging consumers to stock up on cheap drink in a bid to also limit health risks, the person said.
Alternatively, vendors might keep prices the same and make some extra profit. Then, landlords find out and push rents up accordingly.
What else could officials have done to stimulate F&B outlets? How about mandatory seven-year leases with rents tied to inflation on retail premises, so tenants have a chance of making a profit before the landlords put them out of business? Or a hefty tax on unoccupied stores (currently 11.7% of street-level premises in core districts)? You can argue about whether these would be good or bad policy – but they’re examples of what actual ideas might look like.
Following a 30-second blast outside – another policy I’d like to see: all vehicles to have horns that sound only when in motion. Hong Kong could become the hub for gizmos that disable horns when a vehicle is stationary.
On the subject of blasts: your daily angry press release…
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) stated today (September 25) that it strongly condemned and rejected the report on the academic freedom of Hong Kong published by the so-called Human Rights Watch and Hong Kong Democracy Council yesterday (September 24). The content of the report are all maliciously smears and sweeping remarks. The HKSAR Government must point out its errors to set the record straight.
Considering how they “conserved” Central Market, a couple of office blocks on that site would have been an improvement.
Remember when they abolished tax on wine and beer? For a brief moment (blink of an eye) prices went down and then the duopoly started raising prices again and pocketed the extra profit. By the way, does anyone here pay $30- for a small can of that locally produced craft beer (like Gwei Lo) in the supermarket?
“The content of the report are all maliciously smears and sweeping remarks.”
I guess this addresses every smear and bullet point offence in one fell swoop, saving the HKCCPSARG official in charge of writing the retort-o-the-day too much time at the terminal. Boilerplate for all future retorts to criticism, foreign and domestic.
@JB
If you’re buying cans of Gweilo, they’re produced in Vietnam.
@ Joe Blow,
Re: beer market-pricing survey.
Usually I pay $40 for a six-pack of Chang beer ($100 by the case, delivered).
When I’m pushing the boat out, I pay $55 for a six-pack of Asahi.
@JB, I saw some Young Masters IPA in the fridge at Circle-K, $28.50 for a small can. They also had 500ml cans of BrewDog IPA for $20.
In most countries, large supermarkets are generally cheaper than small stores. Not here: shopping around can usually find you a bottle of spirits for quite a bit less than the prices that the duopoly charges. For example, Gordon’s gin recently has been around $189 in ParkNShop; $148 in DS Groceries. Quite a difference!
Does anyone in government have any idea what a tiny proportion of a bar’s costs are for the bottles of spirit? One bottle is about covered by the first shot that comes out of it.
And thereby hangs the plan to rebuild the elusive tourism-based economy that’s all they seem to think about?
Gawd help us.
Scroll down and check the image, a row of suited officials, mostly mature males, holding plush toys while two caged animals snatched from their natural habitat are offloaded from an aircraft and destined for a career of caged voyeurism.
This as the amdinistration admonishes international media for failure to laud the city as a mature economic powerhouse.
SCMP has provided a free link to the effusive ‘good story’
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3279984/hong-kongs-2-new-giant-pandas-and-ke-ke-touch-down-city-soon?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article
You can buy like 3 tall cans of Yanjing beer for like $10 at club seven. There is a beer available for every budget in HK so I don’t feel like alcohol is particularly expensive in HK especially if you visit Singapore.
It’s pretty affordable to get a serious buzz going to tune out the persistent droning from the government about smears and threats everywhere.
Cannabis products on the black market are expensive but good quality if you know the right people. Even though the idiots in government banned CBD products, THC vaping products and edibles smuggled from legal cannabis jurisdictions such as Canada, Thailand, and California are readily available. So is the herb if you are old school but I think they grow that in the new territories.
How about we start referring to it as the so-called Policy Address.
Let’s see how that goes down.
Oh and I think one thing the Thai junta got right was legalise cannabis. Probably because the King is a fan, but it does help soften up the regime to the outside world in a way that our local proxy regime cannot.
If we must have this kafkaesque regime that jails 27 year olds for a year and two months over a T shirt, let us at least get blitzed to help us forget about the before times.
While not wishing to maliciously smear anyone or, God forbid, to make anything like a sweeping remark, I’d just like to say that I strongly condemn and resolutely oppose the price of so-called beer in Hong Kong.
Thank you very much.
@Mary
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our leaders.
I just fixed that for SCMP.
What a sad photo that is.
@Joe Blow
What is wrong with Central Market? The place is packed every lunchtime and many of the small stores on the upper levels appear to be doing brisk business. I heard that store rents are controlled by the government, hence their ability to make some coin. HK did not need more office space; too much of Central is empty.
@Paul Lewis
Nice touch. Respect.
“Muppets”
The perfect title for all HKCCPSARG officials.
Personally I’d be embarrassed as hell if my country’s national source of pride and identity was a useless, inept, non breeding lump of fur that needed resurrection from extinction and regular forced coitus. Hmmm…describes a good many Chinese (and that includes HK) government official types.
What is the total cost to HK of renting six pandas? I think we should be told. Finland has decided that they are too expensive to keep.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/finland-zoo-returns-giant-pandas-china-over-cost-2024-09-24/
The hard cash that goes into China’s panda diplomacy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c78DFM-FYlA