Passenger embarkation fees at ferry terminals may be reduced

Updated at 5.10pm: The government said on Wednesday it was examining reducing passenger embarkation fees at cross-boundary ferry terminals.

These fees are imposed on ferry operators in respect to each passenger travelling on ferries to Macau or China. The fees are imposed at Hong Kong ferry terminals.

A spokesman for the government said it had been considering reducing the fees from $18 to $15 a passenger.

He said the proposal was made after a review found that there was room for a 17 per cent reduction in fees.

'Most of the cross-boundary ferry operators have already indicated that they would reduce their ferry fares accordingly by $3,' he said.

The fee cut would reduce government revenue by $29.8 million a year, the spokesman said.