Flawed logic of maid levy can't be ignored

The Legislative Council is meeting today to set up a new subcommittee to scrutinise the government's proposal to extend, from two to five years, the suspension of the HK$400 monthly levy on employers of foreign domestic helpers.

The move comes after legislators were all set to vote on an amendment to the Employees Retraining Ordinance to scrap the levy. That proposal had considerable support.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung said the government had taken into account 'the latest economic developments in relation to the financial turmoil, public views and the financial condition of the Employees Retraining Fund'.

It is unclear why the latest economic developments would affect whether the levy is suspended for two, five or 50 years.

As for public views, they have been heavily in favour of abolishing the levy. Left to their own devices, legislators would very likely have voted to scrap it.

What the government has done is divide the legislature by opting for a proposal by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong to suspend the levy for five years. This makes it difficult for DAB legislators to vote against the proposal.

The decision to extend the suspension from two to five years does not change the fact that the original idea to impose it and use the money raised to fund the Employees Retraining Board was unsound and illogical.