30,000 yuan limit for duty-free? Hong Kong delegates to country’s top political advisory body propose increase to woo mainland Chinese

Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Standing Committee member Henry Tang calls for revamp of 5,000 yuan tax-free shopping limit, unchanged in almost three decades

He says he has support of most Hong Kong delegates, with joint proposal to be put forward in Beijing during ‘two sessions’ gatherings next week

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Shoppers outside a luxury retail store. The city recorded 34 million visitors last year, just over half the record 65 million who came in 2018. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 11:00am, 1 Mar 2024

Hong Kong representatives to the country’s top political advisory body want mainland Chinese visitors to enjoy duty-free shopping of up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,165) instead of the current 5,000 yuan, a limit which has not changed in almost three decades.

Henry Tang Ying-yen, a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), told the Post the move was a key change in a joint proposal he initiated and which would be put forward by most of the city’s representatives in Beijing next week.

He said a more generous tax incentive would boost tourism and improve Hong Kong’s attractiveness to mainland spenders who had been flocking to Hainan, an island province off the country’s southern coast, for duty-free shopping.

Henry Tang says the more generous tax incentive will improve the city’s attractiveness for spenders who have been opting for Hainan for duty-free shopping. Photo: Dickson Lee

A higher tax-free shopping limit would also complement proposals such as those to reinstate the multiple-visa scheme for people living in Shenzhen and increase the number of mainland cities whose residents may visit Hong Kong as individuals rather than in tour groups.

“The central government’s policy stipulates Hong Kong’s greater integration with the mainland, but it does not make sense not to allow more mainland people to visit the city,” said Tang, who is the chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and the city’s former No 2 official.

While there were restrictions on mainlanders visiting Hong Kong, he pointed out that they could stay in Singapore for 30 days without a visa.

Hong Kong has about 200 representatives to the CPPCC and Tang said he had secured the support of about two-thirds of them to submit the joint proposal next week.