Chief Executive: Pragmatism and cohesion

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah said today in the 2006 policy address that there are various changes in the next few years and that we should grasp the valuable opportunities offered by these changes. Speaking in his seventh Policy Address at a plenary meeting in the Legislative Assembly, Mr Ho recalled that, in the past year, the Government had not only place high value on the latest economic and social developments, but also launched large-scale infrastructures projects to co-ordinate the allocation of resources needed in the market. Meanwhile, the Government also stepped up the services for the minorities and commenced preparations to lift the quality of life of the people of Macao. Mr Ho also urged officials at all grades to enhance their faiths when faced with various changes brought about by rapid economic development. Looking forward on economic developments, the Chief Executive said that the Government would continue to strengthen the competitive advantages of Macao’s tourism and gaming industry. Mr Ho said the Government would promote the healthy development of the gaming industry through fostering the administration in the legal and financial environment, as well as to gaming promoters. Moreover, it would consolidate its monitoring of the casino concessionaires, especially in fulfillment of their investment projects according to their contracts. As for developing the tourism industry, Mr Ho said Macao would blend its advantages as a city of heritage, entertainment and a venue for staging international fairs. Regarding the stability of its financial system, Mr Ho said the Government would spare no efforts to enhance its monitoring of the banking institutions, as well as facilitating the financial legal system to combat money laundering. In order to alleviate the shortage of human resource in a various industries, with the assurance that locals would be employed first, the Government would promote the introduction of import workers, especially those with specialised talents that are lacking in Macao. And as a means to streamlining Macao's economic structure, the Government would continue its support of industries such as Chinese medicine, aviation logistics, and trade and services intermediation and other related emerging industries. Furthermore, the Government would continue its support for the exhibition and conference industry, said Mr Ho, and to start operations of research institutions, which focus on the industry and incentive tourism. Speaking on the co-operation with neighboring regions, Portuguese-speaking countries and overseas Chinese businessmen, Mr Ho said the Government would continue to forge its role as a trade and service platform through harnessing Macao’s advantage in languages, business networks and historic factors. The Government would also strengthen this role by enhancing its relation with Southeast Asian countries, Japan, Korea and European Union countries. On legal reform, Mr Ho said that the Government would focus on laws that are urgently needed. He said that it would draft laws to enhance the accountability of public servants, and to introduce a ''transition period'' for Government officials considering to enter private sector after serving the public. On constitutional development, Mr Ho said that the Government would enhance its development in accordance with the Basic Law. He said that the Government would review its existing consultation system to perfect the function of these existing agencies and to form a new consultation system that could extensively represent the public from all sectors and levels. On infrastructure, he said the Government would re-formulate housing policy to enhance the supply of public housing and review the allocation system of Home-Ownership Scheme housing and public rental housing. The Government has set up the Urban Renovation Committee, which should speed up the plan to renovate urban area. The following policies are to be implemented in the Fiscal Year 2005-2006: To continue with tax cuts and social welfare relief measures, including: 25% discount on salaries tax; Abolition of business tax; 500 patacas discount on property tax; Abolition of signage fee; Abolition of tourism tax on restaurants sales; Abolition of licence fee for street stalls; Abolition of wet market stall rent; Abolition of stamp duty on insurance policies, with the exception of life insurance; Abolition of stamp duty on interests and commissions for bank loans and commissions for other bank services; Old-age subsidies Continue and intensify support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Perfect the current SMEs finance support plan, increasing the cap on loans in order to ease difficulties faced by SMEs in financing. Speed up the administrative process and provide better support in information, training and technology. Initiate the renovation of older districts after one year of study and preparation in order to provide better business environment. Increasing investment in education: Extending free education to kindergarten;
Subsidising additional fees collected by private schools and eventually eliminating such fees in 2006/2007 school year. Releasing a subsidy of 5,000 patacas to each senior secondary student and complete the study on the extension of free education to senior secondary classes, in pursuit of the implementation of 15 years free education in the 2009/2010 school year. These subsidies will increase the Government’s budget in education by 50% to a total of 880 million patacas. Providing better medical services: Restructuring of public hospital; Enhance triage in emergency service and shorten the waiting time. Enhance equipment in public hospital and expand the emergency service. Co-operate with WHO and the Central Government on the prevention of Avian Influenza and make the health and safety of residents a priority. Improvement of social welfare Study the minimum livelihood index and increase subsidies to those who rely on the subsidies. All the social welfare payments will be amended to reflect the updated index. To be attentive to the needs of the elderly and minorities who might be disadvantaged. Easing the housing difficulties of the disadvantaged minorities and facilitating the lively development of the real estate market Taking the initiatives to introduce Government-built public housing. Building 4,000 public rental housing units within three years and 6,000 in five years. Research on a tax cut relating to property transfers to help first-time homebuyers who would not be allowed to sell their flats within a certain period. Study reclamation that suits the long-term needs of Macao to bring the healthy development of the real estate market and solve the traffic problem Enhance the drafting of real estate related regulations. Increasing employment and easing the pressure on the lack on human resources To continue the “Yes to jobs, no to charity” policy to help the unemployed and introduce a subsidy-related ''Positive Life and Services Scheme''. Study the introduction of extra fees for employing import workers and urge enterprises to employ local people The fees collected for employing import workers will be invested in the re-training of the unemployed and in subsidies to the SMEs that employ locals.