The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, delivered his Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2011 at the Legislative Assembly today where he outlined a string of policies and measures to promote a quality urban life, achieve adequate diversification of the economy and to promote a ‘Sunshine Government’. Entitled ‘Adopting a scientific approach to public administration; Drawing a blueprint for future development’, this was Mr Chui’s second Policy Address. On promoting a quality urban life, Mr Chui said the Government would introduce tax exemption for environmental friendly light vehicles with up to 60,000 patacas of tax waivers per vehicle, and set up an environmental protection and energy conservation fund with a start-up fund of 100 million patacas, to sponsor efforts by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and community groups to improve air quality and save energy and water. The Government would also establish a food safety centre to enhance information exchanges and dissemination as well as collaboration among industry communities, local residents and the Government. It would officially initiate discussions between employers and employees on the issue of minimum wages and said he expected that relevant work would commence next year. It would also formulate a long-term housing policy with a view to seeking equilibrium between public housing supply and the private property market, and press forward with the plan to build 19,000 public housing units in phases before the end of 2012. It would formulate long-term welfare policies for the elderly, support the “Aging in place” policy and make necessary plans to meet their demands in housing and healthcare, he announced. The Government would continue to improve the healthcare system and provide residents with better healthcare protection and services, in accordance with the Plan for Perfecting the Medical and Healthcare System. On tax cuts, waivers, financial allowances and subsidies, the Chief Executive said the Government proposed a 25 per cent reduction in personal income tax for all employed citizens, coupled with an increase in the basic allowance for personal income tax from 95,000 patacas to 144,000 patacas. It would waive all business taxes, hawker licence fees, wet market stall rents, and stamp duties on life insurance, non-life insurance and bank service charges. In addition, the Government proposed to waive signboard taxes (excluding tobacco and cigarette signboards) for businesses, tourism tax for restaurants, the first 3,500 patacas of real estate tax, and increase the profit tax allowance from 32,000 patacas to 200,000 patacas. Others waivers which would continue include stamp duty on entrance passes and tickets for cultural and arts performances, exhibitions and entertainment programmes, and real estate stamp duty on the first three million patacas of a home’s value for Macao permanent residents buying residential properties for the first time. The Government would also extend financial allowances to low income, full time employees, textbook allowances of 1,500 patacas per school year to all eligible Macao school students and 150 patacas a month electricity fee subsidy for residential households for 12 months. Other allowances include financial assistance to families with difficulties, special subsidies and special living allowances to three categories of disadvantaged families and Old Age Allowance of 5,000 patacas for elderly Macao permanent residents. It would also continue the Healthcare Voucher Scheme to improve community medical service networks and the quality of medical services, Mr Chui said. The Government would initiate the Continuing Education Programme to encourage residents to pursue continuing education and training courses. Under the programme, which is estimated to cost 500 million patacas, Macao residents aged 15 or above would receive a subsidy for a period of three years, subject to a maximum ceiling of 5,000 patacas per applicant. To gradually turn the temporary cash subsidy into a systematic and long-term welfare policy - the two-tier social security system, the Government proposed to inject 6,000 patacas into each eligible Central Provident Fund account, and a cash handout of 4,000 patacas to every permanent resident and 2,400 patacas to every non-permanent resident. To support small and medium-sized enterprises, the Government would refine the SME Assistance Programme and the Loan Credit Assurance Scheme and launch financial incentive plans to facilitate business for small and medium-sized enterprises. On co-operation with Guangdong, the Government would strive to press forward with the construction of the Chinese medicine industrial park on Hengqin Island and foster the progressive transformation of the Zhuhai-Macao Crossborder Industrial Zone into a cross-border co-operation zone. To realise a ‘Sunshine Government’, the Government would promote implementation of central co-ordination and management systems for civil servants and implementing central recruitment and promotion mechanisms and strengthen the Commission Against Corruption’s supervision of public authorities and private organisations. The Government would also introduce new regulations and measures to reinforce the accountability system for officials and demonstrate the accountability of governance, and officials of every rank should strictly abide by and enforce the Basic Law and related international conventions and laws. It would improve communications with the Legislative Assembly, enhance the central co-ordination mechanism of law drafting and revision and draw up plans for legislative work. The Government would proceed on revising the System of Seniority Premiums, Housing Allowances and Family Allowances, and would raise each point on the civil service salary scale to 62 patacas. To enhance communication with the public, the Government would further improve the spokesperson system, which should more proactively deliver to the public the latest information concerning policies or unexpected events, he said.
