Hong Kong’s tax department insists it ‘definitely does not’ audit for tax returns based on specific industry or background, even as it launches simultaneous investigations of independent news media outlets and their staff and their family members. HKFP points out that at least six such organizations – ie most of them – have been audited, though…
In 2023–24, 1,802 audits were “processed” by the Inland Revenue Department whilst, as of 2024, there were over 1.46 million registered companies.
Some 3.2 million people are expected to pass through Hong Kong borders over the Tuen Ng May 31-June 2 period. (RTHK style? The line with Shenzhen is a ‘boundary’, but if you include air and sea movements, you can call them ‘borders’.) The majority of these will presumably be people making two crossings over the weekend. Even so, it seems around a tenth of the Hong Kong population will get out of town while a similar number will flood in.
As a witty commenter put it recently, Hongkongers will leave town to spend their money elsewhere in order to avoid all the Mainlanders who come here and don’t spend any money.
From the Standard…
A private housing estate in North Point has sparked controversy after issuing a notice prohibiting residents from walking bare-chested in common corridors, warning that such behavior could violate Hong Kong’s criminal laws.
The estate management posted the notice following complaints about shirtless residents in shared spaces while taking out trash or handling personal items. While acknowledging the hot weather, the notice reminded residents that corridors are public areas and urged them to “wear shirts when passing through.”
It cited Section 148 of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200), which criminalizes “indecent exposure” in public places without lawful authority, punishable by up to HK$2,000 in fines or six months’ imprisonment.
Well at least they didn’t mention national security.
The FT reports on Singaporeans falling for ‘job scams, romance scams, government official impersonation scams’ and other fraud. Known victims (many do not go to the police) lost over $1 billion last year…
This is a small part of a global criminal enterprise worth an estimated $1tn, but Singaporeans, affluent, digitally advanced and compliant, are particularly vulnerable to these scams. As one person involved in the recovery of assets put it: “They are rich and naive”.
All of which sounds familiar to those of us in Hong Kong, where cross-border movements of cash leave many people in possible violation of Mainland laws, and thus susceptible to being conned by fraudsters posing as law enforcement. But there is a unique twist in the Lion City…
…Scams have become so widespread that Singapore’s government has even discussed corporal punishment for offenders. “We believe in caning as a strong deterrent,” said Loretta Yuen, chair of the fraud committee at the Association of Banks in Singapore. “It’s a deterrent, but there is also a sense of revenge to it.”
So taking off one’s shirt in a public place may be illegal? Damn, there goes my day at the beach!
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but put a damn shirt on when wondering in common areas. It’s not about propriety or gender differences. No one wants inadvertent skin-to-skin with their sweaty neighbour in the hall or the lift. Once we get that bad habit sorted, let’s work on encouraging regular bathing and use of deodorant (at least in the hottest / most humid months)
I’m wondering why an image of a leather-clad, stern-looking lady in thigh length boots and wielding a cane suddenly appeared on reading of the Singy scam victims. Cold shower should correct me.
They know, we know, they know that we know that there is no coincidence in the ‘audits’.
It is a sad reflection on the state of our society that instead of cracking on with their designated operations in a fair and apolitical manner, our government depts are now forced to deviate from normal practices in the pursuit of a shadowy and malevolent agenda.
@Mary Melville
It’s the classic Soviet game of Vranyo as described by Elena Gorokhov: “The rules are simple: they lie to us, we know they’re lying, they know we know they’re lying but they keep lying anyway, and we keep pretending to believe them.”
In my day, Sir, we called it rich and thick. Rich and naive, indeed: woke gone mad.