← "Mouse and elephant" | Return to Main Page | "Asia by Blog" →

September 20, 2004

You are on the invidual archive page of Paying the price. Click Simon World weblog for the main page.
Paying the price

The HK Government is planning to introduce anti-racial discrimination laws. While exemptions exist for small business, none (as far as I understand it) exists for the Government itself. So I would assume there is a prima facie case for the domestic helpers of Hong Kong to launch a lawsuit against the HK Government for its disgusting helper tax, where the very lowest earning non-Hong Kongers have to pay a tax of HK$400 a month even though locals earning the same amount do not (the threshhold is HK$108,000 for locals; helpers minimum wage is HK$3,270/month).

Any lawyers care to correct me?

 posted by Simon on 09.20.04 at 03:31 PM in the Hong Kong category.




Trackbacks:

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blog.mu.nu/cgi/trackback.cgi/46404

Send a manual trackback ping to this post.


Comments:

Isn't it a levy paid by the employer when the contract is signed and not an actual tax?

 posted by: shaky on 09.20.04 at 04:35 PM [permalink]

True, but given the minimum wage was cut by the exact same amount with the clear implication that the wage cut was to compensate for the levy, it's a tax in everything but name.

 posted by: Simon on 09.20.04 at 05:23 PM [permalink]




Post a Comment:

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember your info?







Disclaimer
All content, including comments, on this site operates under a Creative Commons Licence. The content except for quotes reflect my personal opinions and not those of my employer, family, co-workers, fellow Sydney Swans supporters or anyone else. The comments section is open but if you write it, you stand by it. I take no responsibility for comments. I may, at my sole discretion, moderate, alter or remove comments. I reserve the right to unashamedly change the rules as I go along. All emails are publishable unless otherwise marked. If you don't like it, use the little x in the top right of your browser.