Chief executive says ‘no’ to visitor tax:Leung rejects proposal that targets mainlanders

THE idea of taxing tourists that enter the Hong Kong border by land from mainland China has been raised by Albert Chan Wai yip (陳偉業). He is a member of the Legislative Council, and a member of People Power.But Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英) said this ‘visitor tax’ is not feasible and is not an option. Leung said if such a tax were implemented, Hong Kong residents could not be exempted from the tax when they re-enter Hong Kong. “Moreover, we cannot expect the mainland not to introduce a similar tax in return,” Leung said. He reminded Chan that about 180,000 Hong Kong residents enter the mainland each day, including those who work or study there. Every day, more than 100,000 visitors – mainly from the mainland – come to Hong Kong through land checkpoints. The chief executive says they are an important component of the city’s tourism and economy. Chan says he believes the ‘visitor tax’ could help with easing problems associated with mainland tourists such as goods smuggling. 1. tax (v) 課稅 2. feasible (adj) 可行的 3. implement (v) 實施 4. exempt (v) 豁免 5. component (n) 組成部分 6. smuggle (v) 走私