Licence fee is exorbitant
I REFER to the reply of Mr C. Jackson, of the Trade Department (South China Morning Post, August 12), to Mr Harris Au regarding textile re-export licences.
I fully agree with the criticisms expressed by Mr Au.
First of all, HK$2,000 per year is a lot of money for an exporter, who needs 20 or even 30 textile re-export licences a year.
The Trade Department is subsidising exporters who are registered under the Textiles Trade Registration Scheme, requiring over 60 textile re-export licences a year, by charging small exporters an exorbitant fee.
Secondly, the disadvantage is not, as Mr Jackson suggested, to a few.
I have been to the department four times in the last two weeks and found long lines at counters No 15 and 20 on the second floor of the Trade Department.
I would like to know the total number of textile re-export licences issued by the department for August, September and October, if Mr Jackson could get the figures by the end of this year.
Furthermore, it takes four, not two working days to have a textile re-export licence issued.
CONRAD KUNG Director Wolf Boswell International Ltd
