An eight-year-old girl and an 81-year-old stockbroker were among hundreds of protesters who took to the streets yesterday to demonstrate against the abolition of the minimum brokerage commission.
They marched to the Central Government Offices where a letter calling for the move to be scrapped was presented to Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Frederick Ma Si-hang.
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Industry Staff Union, which arranged the protest, said about 1,000 brokers joined the protest, but police put the number at 634.
The letter urged Mr Ma to keep the 0.25 per cent minimum brokerage commission until market turnover improved.
Last week, the stock exchange decided to scrap the minimum commission from April 1 to lower transaction costs.
Union chairman David Wong said: 'The government should keep the minimum brokerage commission in place until the economy improves.' He said 70 per cent of union members were over 40, and it would be difficult for them to get new jobs.
