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2020.02.20
DAB Chairperson Starry Lee, Legislative Councillors Leung Che-Cheung and Holden Chow held a press conference with the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management Limited Yeung Wai-sing and member of the Commission on Poverty Yip Man-Pan to put forward the food and beverage industry’s proposals on the operation of the Anti-epidemic Fund (the Fund).
The DAB demands the Fund to simplify the approval procedures and shorten the approval time. Yeung Wai-sing points out that the food and beverage industry is heading into winter and the funding support is urgently needed to cover wages of large number of employees. He expects the government can further enhance the support on top of the $200,000 subsidies.
The DAB also requests the government to ease the financial burden on restaurants by reducing rent of government properties and strengthening efforts made to facilitate rents deduction of shopping centres. The government should provide tax incentives to encourage owners to reduce rents and provide unemployment assistance fund to those underemployed to get through this difficult period.
The DAB stresses that the government should hold over the provisional profits tax of the catering industry allowing them to have enough cash flow to pay wages. The DAB also suggests the government to make good use of both Community Care Fund and the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund established by the Commission on Poverty to provide support for the food and beverage industry to transform from a “dining in orientation” to “takeout-oriented” model.
Media Inquiries:
DAB Legislative Councilor Leung Che-Cheung 9016 8088
DAB Legislative Councilor Holden Chow 3703 9870
Commission on Poverty member Yip Man-pan 5118 2009
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