TAXPAYERS will have to wait at least another week for the rebate because of attempts to cap the 10 per cent refund at $100,000.
The Finance Bureau warned of a 'more serious delay' if the Legislative Council agrees to the move on Wednesday week. 'If the proposal is endorsed, there will be big trouble,' a spokesman said.
'We have to start the whole process all over again. We would have to pick those disqualified out from all the cheques ready.' If the amendment is rejected, the administration will start sending out more than one million rebate cheques on March 31 rather than next Thursday as scheduled.
'We have to wait for the outcome of the Legco meeting on March 31, although the rebate is something people have expected for a long time,' the spokesman said.
He refused to say how many taxpayers would be affected if the rebate was capped.
'We don't want to see any delay because our aim is to return the money back to the public as soon as possible.' The delay was triggered by an amendment, moved by unionist legislators Lau Chin-shek, Lee Cheuk-yan and Leung Yiu-chung, to cap the rebate at $100,000 to press for a more reasonable allocation of resources.
They claim the biggest benefactors would be the super-rich. About 5,000 businesses and several thousand individuals would be hit.
