Tsang administration must be determined to solve problems 對應深層次矛盾交白卷曾班子要拿決心解難題

OVER the past few months, poverty, theanti-XRL movement and rocketing propertyprices have exposed Hong Kong'sdeep-rooted contradictions. People had expectedFinancial Secretary John Tsang's third Budget todemonstrate the government's intention anddetermination to face and solve those problems.

However, they were sorely disappointed. Are we tosuppose the Tsang administration has become a lameduck? That is the last thing we want to see.

Concluding his Budget speech, John Tsang saidmany factors had contributed to poverty in HongKong, including Hong Kong people's outward mobilityand structural changes in its economy. He seems tohave made a diagnosis, but he has yet to prescribewhat may help to reduce poverty in Hong Kong. In hisBudget speech, he only mentioned developing theeconomy and investing in education. It can thus beseen how determined the government is to reducepoverty and how sincere it is about doing so. Herejected the Hong Kong Council of Social service'sproposal that the government set up a newcommission on poverty. He did not even make anyproposals in respect of the cross-district transportallowance (designed to help the working poor). That isvery disappointing indeed.

John Tsang proposed handing out "sweets" thatwould cost about $20 billion. Since he becameFinancial Secretary, he has handed out more than $80billion. What results have those handouts produced?They have not even made the government, the ChiefExecutive or any official any more popular. Thegovernment has handed out "sweets" five times overthe past two years. It now seems given to doing so. Itremains to be seen how government-public relationswill be like when it ceases to do so.

To explain why he had decided to hand out"sweets", John Tsang said, "Some people have yet toenjoy a salary rise in line with the recovery, whoseburden may be further increased by the emerginginflationary pressure, particularly rises in food prices."

His logic is quite dubious. Are we to suppose that thegovernment will hand out "sweets" whenever wages donot rise in step with economic growth? Inflationarypressure is now "emerging". Over the past two years,many a government has adopted an easy moneypolicy. Ferocious inflation is therefore bound to hitHong Kong. As the government has handed out"sweets" when inflationary pressure is emerging, will itnot have to hand out lots and lots of them wheninflation rockets?

John Tsang calls "sweets" "relief". However, therates waiver and tax break he proposed yesterdaywould benefit everybody. Why should any luxury flatowner get his rates payments partly waived? Whyshould any person who makes several million dollars ayear be allowed to pay $6,000 less tax? Why has thegovernment proposed to provide them with any"relief"? People who are neither CSSA recipients norpublic rental housing tenants would receive no relieffrom the government at all. Whom on earth does thegovernment want to help? Those relief measures areillogical and ill conceived.

John Tsang's third Budget does not evidence thegovernment's intention or determination to deal withHong Kong's deep-rooted problems. It rather shows ittries to evade them or intends to take only halfmeasures. The will of governance discernible fromJohn Tsang's third Budget is such that one should notpin high hopes on the Tsang administration unless theChief Executive is resolved to find ways to cure HongKong's problems.

明報社評

2010.02.25

對應深層次矛盾交白卷曾班子要拿決心解難題

過去數月，本港歷經貧窮問題、反高鐵運動和樓價狂飈等所暴露深層次矛盾，人們寄望財政司長曾俊華發表的第3 份財政預算案，會顯露政府面對和解決這些問題的意志和決心。但是它令人非常失望。難道曾班子已經淪為跛腳鴨？這是我們極之不願意見到的局面。

曾俊華在「結語」中，有提到「香港貧窮問題的成因複雜，涉及香港人外移流動性、外來人口的社會經濟條件和香港經濟結構轉變等因素」，曾俊華似乎斷了症，卻未見他和政府就本港貧窮問題開藥方，只談經濟發展和投資教育，政府的滅貧決心和誠意，於此可見一斑。社聯建議政府重組扶貧委員會固然未被接納，連對應在職貧窮的跨區工作交通津貼，這次也交白卷，實在使人失望。

至於俗稱的「派糖」，曾俊華在預算案所推出措施，又花了約200 億元。他出任財政司長後，連這次已經派了超過1000 億元，但是起到什麼效果呢？起碼從特首、官員和政府的民望，並未因而有進益。而且兩年多來5次「派糖」，已經出現尾大不掉之勢，有朝一日不再「派糖」，官民關係將如何，尚待考驗。

曾俊華這次「派糖」的說詞是「部分市民的收入未能與復蘇同步增長，通脹的壓力卻已開始浮現，特別是食物價格上升，可能會增加市民的負擔」。這段話的「派糖」邏輯大有問題。莫非只要市民收入未能與增長同步，政府就要「派糖」？另外，通脹只是浮現，過去兩年各國的寬鬆貨幣政策，兇猛的通脹定會掩至，在「通脹浮現」已經「派糖」，則到「通脹飈升」時，豈非更要大派特派？

另外，曾俊華把「派糖」名之為「紓緩措施」，但是在寬減差餉和減薪俸稅人人有份。擁有豪宅的人，為何還要給他們寬減差餉；年薪以百萬計的打工仔，為何還要給他們減稅6000 元。豪宅業主和百萬年薪打工仔也在政府「紓緩」之列，那些無住公屋、無申領綜援等「幾無」人士，在紓緩措施中卻一無所得，政府究竟要幫什麼人？這樣安排的「紓緩措施」邏輯混亂，處理粗疏。

這份預算案，在對應深層次問題方面，政府並未透過曾俊華顯示意志和決心，更多的是迴避問題，敷衍了事。由這份預算案所折射曾班子的管治意志，實在令人難對它寄予厚望，除非曾特首拿出決心來解決香港的難題。

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Glossary

contribute to

be one of the causes of.

relief

financial help given by the government topeople who need it.

half measures

policy or plan of action that is weak and doesnot do enough.