Submissions and Reports

The Chamber welcomes the Commission’s proposals to extend the Block Exemption for Vessel Sharing Agreements) Order 2017 (“the Order”). At the same time, we continue to advocate for the extension of the Order for five years, as well as the removal of the market share limit for vessel sharing agreements currently imposed under the Order.

HKGCC welcomes the opportunity to comment on the review of the Statutory Minimum Wage (“SMW”) rate, which we recommend to be left unchanged at the current level of $37.5 per hour.

In its letter to the sole CE Candidate John Lee, the Chamber has made a range of recommendations including the call for a clear roadmap to restore links with the rest of the world.

The Chamber welcomes the proposal to grant qualifying entities the right to enjoy tax concessions as this would further consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a premier international financial centre. At the same time, the Chamber calls on the government to also address non-taxation issues to better position Hong Kong as a preferred destination for family offices.

The Chamber appeals to the Government to give due attention to protecting economic viability and maintaining business stability in the interest of maintaining the city’s status as it steers Hong Kong out of the fifth wave of the pandemic. To achieve these goals, the Chamber has called for the formulation of a clear and predictable action plan for recovery and restoration to normality. This also includes ensuring continuity in the delivery of critical services should such extraordinary measures as compulsory universal testing and a citywide lockdown be implemented.

The nature of the consultation, which concerns copyright owners and users, mean that the Chamber was unable to achieve unanimity when responding to some of the Government’s proposals to update Hong Kong’s existing copyright law. As such, the Chamber has called for a balanced approach that takes into account the rights of owners and users, while reflecting views from both perspectives on such proposals as adopting an exhaustive approach on copyright exceptions and introduction of a judicial site-blocking mechanism.

The Chamber has called on the Government to address the loss of talent resulting from the recent wave of emigration. Based on findings from a Chamber survey conducted in January, companies of all sizes and across the business spectrum have been adversely affected by a dwindling workforce.

Although protecting public health is of critical importance, consideration should also be given to mitigating associated costs and maintaining connections to the outside world. In its letter to the government, the Chamber has called on the government to provide airline and air cargo operators with the adequate operational flexibility to ensure continuity in Hong Kong’s ability to obtain critical supplies in a stable and timely manner.

In its latest recommendations to the upcoming Budget, the Chamber has called on the government to continue to provide support for businesses especially those badly affected by measures to contain the pandemic. The Chamber’s submission also included proposals on policy initiatives to respond to changes in the international landscape, namely, developments with BEPS 2.0 and the inclusion of Hong Kong on EU’s grey list, as well as in enhancing Hong Kong’s standing as a place for doing business.