Financial Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said yesterday he was confident his last Budget would be passed with Democratic Party members' support.
The party had threatened to vote against the Budget if the Government did not cap the number of imported mainland professionals and failed to put more resources into education.
Mr Tsang said: 'I've listened to their views . . . I've studied very carefully what they gave me during the preparation of the Budget.
'And, indeed, many of the proposals have been incorporated into my Budget. This is the same way I've dealt with the proposals made by other political parties. I'm sure our legislative councillors, including Democratic Party members, will consider what we've done together. I'm sure they will lend whatever support they can to the Budget I prepared,' he said after visiting the St Joseph's College Primary School in Wan Chai.
Mr Tsang stressed expenditure on education in the future would not be small and the Government would continue to broaden sources of income and contain expenses. But he also warned that the SAR's competitiveness would fall if excessive resources were put into the public sector.
Mr Tsang said the expenditure proposed in the Budget this year amounted to a relatively high 20 per cent of Hong Kong's gross domestic product. 'Our expenditure is limited. I understand legislators want the Government to put more resources into social welfare in order to benefit the public. But we have to think whether there will be a danger of undermining competitiveness and the business sector's energy if expenditure in the public service takes up too much of our resources.'
