Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah announced his budget on Wednesday, but I do not think it can help poor people at all. It is true that rates have been lowered but that can only save us a few hundred dollars.
The measure that affects me most is the 50 per cent rise in tobacco tax. The increase is really a bit crazy; now each pack costs me nearly HK$10 more. But the increase will not encourage me to quit smoking; after all, I have been smoking for many years. I tried quitting in the past, but in vain.
Many places already ban smoking and we can only smoke at home. Combined with the increased tobacco tax, it is likely that I may smoke less, but the habit will definitely stay.
The government is planning to subsidise internship programmes for university students, but I doubt that can really help them find a permanent job. With the current economic situation, employers are not willing to take on any extra staff. It is very likely that after finishing their internship, the students will still be left without a job.
I think this pessimistic situation will continue for at least another year. Many of my customers have told me their companies have laid off all the temporary contract staff. I heard that one German company laid off more than 1,000 people in Hong Kong, and a lot of expatriate staff were sent to other parts of the world.
Long Hair (legislator Leung Kwok-hung) and his colleagues in the League of Social Democrats again created chaos in the Legislative Council. It is outrageous that they tried to throw bananas at John Tsang. I think they are too impulsive and violent. Surely that will affect the image of Hong Kong. I understand that they are trying to help the poor, but it would have been better if they could talk it over with officials peacefully.