Fernando Cheung Worried About Handout Red Tape

Labour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung said on Monday that he believes it will be difficult for officials to come up with a simple application process for people to get their hands on the HK$4,000 cash payments announced by the government last week.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung pledged yesterday to adopt straightforward application procedures, saying the public will only have to prepare a small amount of documents in order to apply for the money.

But Cheung said the complex eligibility criteria will no doubt lead to a lot of red tape.

“I think it is rather complicated given that they would look at whether you have been returned HK$4,000 in rates, or in salaries tax, or in other benefits. And they would give you the difference between the amount and HK$4,000. So it involves a lot of calculations”, he said.

The government has said some 2.8 million people will be able to receive the handout if they do not directly benefit from this year’s budget. Finance Secretary Paul Chan said the administration will aim to start taking applications before next February.