Submissions and Reports

The Chamber is pleased to note that a Legislative Council’s Bills Committee was formed on 16 October 2020 to again study a bill to implement a charging scheme for the purpose of reducing MSW following a previous attempt to do so during the previous legislative term. The Chamber believes that such a charging scheme would lay a useful foundation for Hong Kong to manage waste in a more responsible and effective manner.

The Chamber submitted a letter to the Labour and Welfare Bureau in response to the Government’s Revised Amendment Proposal on the Occupational Safety and Health Legislation. The Chamber disagreed with the substantial increase in penalties as it might lead to drastic consequences during the present dismayed economic situation. Instead, the Government should tackle the problem at source and focus on education and prevention instead of punishment.

The Chamber does not object to the Commission's proposal to amend its guidelines under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, but suggests that any additional compliance requirements should be facilitative and reasonably practicable to achieve.

The Chamber supports the HKEX’s proposals to go paperless although, in the process of doing so, consideration should be given to maintaining paper-based options so that some degree of flexibility is provided to the investing public.

Amidst the unprecedented challenges confronting Hong Kong, the Chamber has put forward five key recommendations on which the Government should be addressing as a matter of priority for the coming year. The Chamber has also included proposals that the Government should be looking at over the medium to long term.

The Chamber welcomes measures which are conducive to the development of international trade such as the proposal to apply the UN Convention on CISG to Hong Kong. While there are apparent benefits of doing so, a proper cost-benefit analysis should be conducted to better assess the impact this may have on the Hong Kong business community and our status as a leading international trading centre.

The Chamber has made a follow-up response to the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau based on the latest draft of the Companies (Corporate Rescue) Bill. The response provides further suggestions on the appointment of a provisional supervisor during the corporate rescue procedure and reiterates points made in the Chamber’s earlier submission.

The Chamber supports the Government’s proposal to provide tax concession for carried interest as this could further strengthen Hong Kong’s status as an international asset management hub and has put forward views on the proposed measures in response to an invitation from the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau.

In response to the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau’s invitation, the Chamber has submitted its views on the Government’s latest proposals to introduce a statutory corporate rescue procedure and insolvent provisions in Hong Kong. The Chamber believe there is a pressing need to provide companies in financial difficulties with an alternative to liquidation especially under the sustained difficulties that Hong Kong has been experiencing since the middle of last year.