Sewage disposal cost plan criticised
A two to three-fold increase in sewage disposal charges was too high, legislators said yesterday.
Bills were estimated to surge by between 2.3 and 3.8 times to meet the cost of the second phase of the Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme, they were told.
Lau Kong-wah of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) said the increase was 'unacceptably high'.
However, Deputy Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands Kim Salkeld said no decision on new charges had yet been made.
He said the information on possible charges was provided for comparison. There were three options, including one that held no increase.
Mr Lau demanded a charging ratio be made public before approval for funds was sought from Legco. Mr Salkeld said it was difficult to predict rates for a project that would not be finished for about 10 years.
Chan Wing-chan of the DAB said the Government should meet the cost of the project.
Mr Salkeld replied: 'The community of Hong Kong will pay all of this whether directly through charges or through taxation.'
