Hong Kong budget: ‘empty talk’ or ‘good resource allocation’? Community leaders say plan does little for needy, but lawmakers praise it as balanced
- Critics point to inflation and pandemic setbacks suffered by underprivileged, argue HK$5,000 vouchers will have limited impact
- Lawmakers say blueprint strikes a compromise in challenging times, citing school initiatives and focus on short-term relief as appropriate
Hong Kong community leaders have dismissed the government’s latest budget blueprint as “hopeless for the needy” despite some lawmakers hailing it as a good allocation of resources.
The HK$5,000 (US$637) consumer vouchers for residents, a highlight of Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po’s speech on Wednesday, would hardly cover the rate of inflation and setbacks suffered by the underprivileged throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, they said.
Chan has set aside an annual budget of HK$174 million to support preschool children with special needs, but specialists in serving disadvantaged pupils argued the sum was far from enough and a long-term strategy to close gaps was still missing.
“There is nothing for low-income families to be happy about in this budget, as their needs weren’t addressed,” said lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen, a qualified social worker.
Chan earlier appealed for understanding and highlighted the economy’s contraction, but Tik disagreed. “The government has resources for targeted poverty relief measures, but this seems to be all talk now,” he argued.
Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of the Society for Community Organisation, which looks after many underprivileged families, recalled how those she spoke to reacted to Chan’s speech and quoted them as saying it was “the worst budget blueprint” delivered by the finance minister.
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Hong Kong consumption vouchers have ‘more psychological than real’ impact on boosting spending
Her group has called for consumption vouchers worth HK$10,000. She said because of inflation and where the vouchers could be used – often at larger chains with marked-up prices – the HK$5,000 sum gave users less purchasing power than perceived.
