Thousands of Hong Kong civil servants to be handed HK$17,500 a month extra with no questions asked
Allowance perk that gives about HK$17,500 a month to civil servants on top of their salary was handed to only 85 in 2005. Now it's 4,000
A generous government allowance paid to some of Hong Kong's top-ranking civil servants without requiring them to account for the money has come under scrutiny as the cost to taxpayers looks set to exceed HK$1 billion annually by next year.
The Non-Accountable Cash Allowance (NCA) is an expenditure that attracts little attention when the government opens its books every year, but with the ballooning total on track to be more than HK$1.1 billion in less than a year, questions have been asked as to whether it is sustainable.
The NCA was introduced by the government in June 2000 to replace previous housing benefit allowances because it provided "flexibility for staff".
"The NCA is fully non-accountable and is not tied to any housing expenses," a Civil Service Bureau spokeswoman told the South China Morning Post.
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