THE HK$6,000-A-MONTH MAN
Kwok Kit-man, 27, is a clerk who lives in Tin Shui Wai and works in Prince Edward, earning HK$6,000 a month. He is disappointed the government has no plans to increase asset limits for workers applying for transport subsidies.
Under the Transport Support Scheme, those earning HK$5,600 or less who live in Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and North District and on the outlying islands can claim up to HK$600 a month for up to six months.
But their personal assets cannot exceed HK$44,000, and they must work at least 72 hours a month. 'The asset cap of HK$44,000 is too strict,' Mr Kwok said. 'It is common for people to save more than that for future use.'
Although the government has decided to raise the income cap from HK$5,600 a month to HK$6,500, Mr Kwok cannot benefit because he has more than HK$50,000 in savings. He urged the government to raise the asset limit to about HK$70,000.
'I tend not to go to urban areas on my day off, to save money,' he said, adding that transport expenses ate up about HK$800 of his monthly pay.