 放大圖片
■本港2010/11年度的稅收按年升17%至2,090億元，創歷來最高紀錄。 資料圖片
稅務局2010/11年度的稅收按年升17%達到2,090億元，創歷來最高紀錄，當中佔最大比重的是薪俸稅、利得稅及物業印花稅。稅收創下新高，反映本港經濟持續反彈，加上股市樓市暢旺，令到各項稅收大增所致。然而，本港收入過度依賴印花稅等非經常性收入，導致政府財政容易受到外圍經濟及資產市場波動影響，不利於謀劃長遠發展。
樓市熾熱令印花稅急升20%至510億元，帶動政府庫房水漲船高。然而，稅收創新高卻遮掩不了本港財政收入的隱患。一是政府收入愈來愈倚重印花稅等非經常性收入，但這些收入大多建築在樓市泡沫之上，難以持久。二是稅收過分集中在少數納稅人及企業身上，交稅最多的10萬人更佔據了整體薪俸稅約6成；而800家大型企業也佔去了6成的利得稅額，顯示本港稅收極不平衡。
本港財政過分依賴非經常性收入，源於經濟結構偏重地產等行業，導致產業結構失衡。由於收入不穩，亦令到本港難以對一些長遠政策作出規劃及投入，貽誤了發展時機。當局應抓緊目前庫房豐盈的良機，利用龐大儲備發展更多新的經濟增長點。六大優勢產業至今未見成績，正在於缺乏政府的政策支持及資源投入所致，當局應善用儲備推動各項高增值產業發展，優化經濟結構。
There are risks behind the high tax revenue; the government should make better use of financial surplus for future development
Tax revenue received by the Inland Revenue Department for the year 2010/2011 rose by 17% to the highest record ever of HK$209 billion; the most part of it came from salary tax, profits tax and stamp duty. The record-breaking tax revenue reflects the continuous rebound of the Hong Kong economy. The booming property and stock markets have brought along a substantial increase in various kinds of tax. However, putting too much reliance on non-recurrent revenue such as stamp duty will result in public finance being highly vulnerable to fluctuations in other economies and capital markets, which is not good for long term development planning.
Due to the property boom, stamp duty rose by 20% to HK$51 billion, pushing the receipts of the government treasury to a higher level. Nevertheless, the record high of tax revenue cannot conceal the risks to which the financial revenue of Hong Kong is exposed. One of them is the increasing reliance of the government on non-recurrent revenue such as stamp duty. This type of income hinges on the bubble of the property market and is not sustainable. The other risk is the heavy concentration of the tax revenue on contributions by only a few taxpayers and enterprises. The contributions made by the highest tax-paying 100,000 individuals accounted for approximately 60% of the overall salary tax while 60% of the total profits tax came from 800 large enterprises. This illustrates a highly imbalanced distribution of tax burden in Hong Kong.
The over-reliance of the Hong Kong public finance on non-recurrent revenue has stemmed from the fact that the economic structure of Hong Kong emphasizes too much on a few sectors like real estate development, resulting in an imbalanced industrial structure. As the revenue is unstable, it is rather difficult for Hong Kong to make long term planning and investment on public policies; so many development opportunities have been missed. The authorities should seize the present moment of abundant public fund and use the large reserve to develop more new growth spots. The Six industries have yet to bear fruit because there is a lack of supportive policies and resource inputs by the government. The authorities should now make proper use of its reserve to promote the development of high value-added industries and optimize the structure of the economy. ■Translation by開明 chi.ming818@gmail.com
|
放大圖片
