Tag Archives: China

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New Valuation List and Government Rent Roll open for inspection

     â€‹The newly declared 2021-22 Valuation List and Government Rent Roll will be available for inspection from next Monday (March 22).

     The List and Rent Roll can be inspected during office hours from March 22 to May 31 at the Rating and Valuation Department (RVD), Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 15/F, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon.

     The public may also search for entries on the List and the Rent Roll on the department’s website (www.rvd.gov.hk) or its Property Information Online (PIO) website (www.rvdpi.gov.hk) during this period.

     Notices relating to the display of the List and the Rent Roll were gazetted today (March 19).

     Proposals objecting to the new rateable values should be made on the specified form (R20A), which is available from the RVD or the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department. Completed forms should reach the RVD by post or by hand between March 22 and May 31. The public may also lodge a proposal by submitting an electronic form (e-R20A) using the Electronic Submission of Forms service provided on the department’s website.

     “Proposals received after May 31 or served by other modes including facsimile transmission will not be accepted,” a department spokesman said.

     All rateable values are reviewed by reference to rental values in the open market on the designated valuation reference date of October 1, 2020, to ensure that the rates and Government rent liability are distributed fairly among rates and rent payers in accordance with the assessed rateable values.

     Rates are charged at a percentage of the rateable value of the property. For the financial year 2021-22 the rates percentage charge will remain at the present level of 5 per cent. If payable, Government rent is charged at 3 per cent of the rateable value of the property.

     In the 2021-22 Budget Speech, the Financial Secretary announced the waiving of rates for four quarters of 2021-22. For each domestic rateable tenement, the concession ceiling will be $1,500 per quarter for the first two quarters, and $1,000 per quarter for the remaining two quarters. For each non-domestic rateable tenement, the concession ceiling will be $5,000 per quarter for the first two quarters, and $2,000 per quarter for the remaining two quarters. 

     Rates and Government rent demands to be issued in early April will show the revised rateable values for 2021-22, the Government rent payable and the net rates amount payable after deducting the rates concession. Leaflets explaining the general revaluation and the rates concession scheme will accompany these demands. Enquiries can be made on the department’s 24-hour hotline 2152 0111.

     “The demands must be paid by the last day for payment shown on the demand whether or not an objection is made to the new rateable value,” the spokesman said. “If there is any change to the rateable value as a result of any objection, this will date back to April 1, 2021, and any necessary adjustment to the amount payable will be made in subsequent demands.”

     To enhance valuation transparency, rates and rent payers of assessed private residential properties (excluding village houses) may obtain information on the saleable area and age of their properties free of charge through the PIO by making use of the Assessment Number and the PIO Enquiry Code printed on the Rates and Government Rent Demand. read more

Smart Traffic Fund to be open for application from March 31

     The Transport Department today (March 19) announced that the Smart Traffic Fund will be open for application from March 31.
 
     The Chief Executive announced in her 2019 Policy Address that the $1 billion Smart Traffic Fund would be set up to provide funding support to local organisations and enterprises for conducting research and application of innovation and technology with the objectives of enhancing commuting convenience, enhancing efficiency of the road network or road space, and improving driving safety.
 
     The Fund will accept applications from companies, research institutions, professional bodies, trade associations and non-government organisations. Applicants are categorised into public and corporate sectors. The maximum funding support is up to 90 per cent of the total approved project cost for the public sector, and up to 50 per cent for the corporate sector. For research and application projects, the funding ceiling is $20 million per project. For pure research projects, the funding ceiling is $8 million per project. The duration of the projects should normally not exceed 24 months.
 
     The Fund will accept applications all year round. For enquiries, please contact the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Secretariat of the Fund, at 2788 5536 or stf_sec@hkpc.org.
 
     Application details of the Fund are available on the Fund’s website (www.stf.hkpc.org). read more

Re-appointments to Resolvability Review Tribunal and Resolution Compensation Tribunal

     The Chief Executive has re-appointed Mr Anson Wong Man-kit, SC, as the chairperson of the Resolvability Review Tribunal (RRT) and the Resolution Compensation Tribunal (RCT) for a new term from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2024.
 
     The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, said today (March 19), “The RRT and RCT strengthen the appellate mechanism under the resolution regime and provide an effective safeguard to ensure that the relevant decisions made by the resolution authorities and the independent valuer are reasonable and fair. I look forward to Mr Wong’s continued support to the work of the RRT and RCT in the new term.”
 
     The RRT and RCT are statutory tribunals established under the Financial Institutions (Resolution) Ordinance (Cap. 628) to hear appeals from persons aggrieved by the specified decisions made by the resolution authorities and the independent valuer. The Monetary Authority, the Insurance Authority and the Securities and Futures Commission are the resolution authorities under the Ordinance and are vested with a range of powers to effect orderly resolution for maintaining the stability of the financial system of Hong Kong. An independent valuer decides whether any pre-resolution creditor or shareholder is eligible for a payment of compensation. read more

Proposed ancillary road works for drainage improvement works in Yuen Long gazetted

     The Government gazetted today (March 19) the proposed ancillary road works in connection with the drainage improvement works at Shan Ha Tsuen, Lin Fa Tei and Sung Shan New Village in Yuen Long.
      
     Details of the proposal are set out in the Annex. The plan and scheme of the works are available for public inspection at the following government offices during office hours:

Central and Western Home Affairs Enquiry Centre, 
G/F, Harbour Building, 
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Yuen Long Home Affairs Enquiry Centre,
G/F, Yuen Long District Office Building, 
269 Castle Peak Road, 
Yuen Long, New Territories

District Lands Office, Yuen Long, 
9/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 
2 Kiu Lok Square, 
Yuen Long, New Territories

     The gazette notice, scheme, plan, resumption plan and location plan are available at www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/gazette/gazette.htm.
 
     Any person who wishes to object to the works or the use, or both, is required to address to the Secretary for Transport and Housing an objection in writing, which can be submitted via the following means:
 

  • By post or by hand to the Transport and Housing Bureau’s drop-in box No. 6 located at the entrance on 2/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong. The box is available for use between 8am and 7pm from Monday to Friday (except public holidays);
  • By fax to 2868 4643; or
  • By email to gazettethb@thb.gov.hk.
 
     A notice of objection should describe the objector’s interest and the manner in which he or she alleges that he or she will be affected by the works or the use. Objectors are requested to provide contact details to facilitate communication. A notice of objection should be delivered to the Secretary for Transport and Housing not later than May 11, 2021. read more

Proposed ancillary road works for drainage improvement works in Tai Po gazetted

     The Government gazetted today (March 19) the proposed ancillary road works at Nam Wa Po in Tai Po to improve the existing drainage system.
      
     Details of the proposal are set out in the Annex. The plan and scheme of the works are available for public inspection at the following government offices during office hours:

Central and Western Home Affairs Enquiry Centre, 
G/F, Harbour Building, 
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong

Tai Po Home Affairs Enquiry Centre,
G/F, Tai Po Government Offices Building,
1 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po, New Territories

District Lands Office, Tai Po,
1/F, Tai Po Government Offices Building,
1 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po, New Territories

     The gazette notice, scheme, plan, resumption plan and location plan are available at www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/gazette/gazette.htm.
 
     Any person who wishes to object to the works or the use, or both, is required to address to the Secretary for Transport and Housing an objection in writing, which can be submitted via the following means:
 

  • By post or by hand to the Transport and Housing Bureau’s drop-in box No. 6 located at the entrance on 2/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong.  The box is available for use between 8am and 7pm from Monday to Friday (except public holidays);
  • By fax to 2868 4643; or
  • By email to gazettethb@thb.gov.hk.
 
     A notice of objection should describe the objector’s interest and the manner in which he or she alleges that he or she will be affected by the works or the use. Objectors are requested to provide contact details to facilitate communication. A notice of objection should be delivered to the Secretary for Transport and Housing not later than May 11, 2021. read more