The financial secretary's proposal to increase the first-registration tax for private cars still faces strong opposition with the government-friendly Liberal Party remaining opposed to it despite concessions made by the government.
Lawmakers will meet tomorrow to examine the increase in the tax for new cars from 100 per cent to 115 per cent.
Of the main parties, only the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and Economic Synergy, with nine and four votes in the Legislative Council respectively, said they would support the change.
Liberal Party chairman Miriam Lau Kin-yee, who represents the transport sector, said the party would vote against it because the government could not justify its argument that private cars were the cause of traffic congestion. 'We believe even if the number of private cars is reduced, the problem will still prevail in the city,' she said. All three party lawmakers would vote against the proposal.
The Democratic Party, with eight votes, and the Civic Party, with five, take the same view.
Civic Party legislator Audrey Eu Yuet-mee said the party was unconvinced that traffic jams would vanish if the number of private cars was reduced.