Housing Authority to pass on rates concession to tenants
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) will pass on the rates concession for the first and second quarters of 2026-27, as set out in the Budget Speech of the Financial Secretary in February this year, to its domestic and non-domestic tenants, starting from April 2026.
"The Subsidised Housing Committee and Commercial Properties Committee of the HA endorsed that, on a 'no-loss-no-gain' principle, the rates concession for the first and second quarters of 2026-27 will be passed on to the public rental housing domestic and non-domestic properties tenants (excluding carpark users) respectively. The Housing Department will pass on the rates concession to its domestic and non-domestic tenants on a monthly basis over a six-month period from April 1 to September 30, 2026, subject to a ceiling of $500 per quarter," a spokesman for the HA said today (March 30).
The rates concession passing-on arrangement will apply to all domestic and non-domestic tenants including interim housing licensees, and the operators of the 18 Single-Operator Markets will also pass on the rates concession to their licensees. For tenancies that do not cover the entire month, the amount of the rates concession will be made on a pro-rata basis.
"Given the small amount of rates concession to individual carpark users and the significant administrative costs involved for its distribution, the Commercial Properties Committee endorsed that carparks will be excluded from this exercise in line with previous rates concession exercises," the spokesman said.
The maximum total amount of rates concession to be passed on to domestic and non-domestic tenants by the HA is estimated to be about $807 million and $9.1 million respectively. The domestic and non-domestic tenants of HA will be individually notified of the detailed arrangements by the Housing Department.
Source: AI-found images
Remarks by newly appointed SCMA at media session
Following are the remarks by the newly appointed Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa, at a media session this morning (March 30):
Reporter: Hi good morning. What are your immediate priorities for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau? Are there any challenges or concerns you see most pressing that you would like to address under your leadership? And the second question is, having retired from the civil service last year, how will your previous experience shape your approach to handling constitutional and Mainland issues, and how will you ensure continuity with ongoing initiatives started by your predecessors? Thank you.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: Thank you for the questions. The top priority of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau is the preparation and formulation of the Hong Kong's first five-year plan. As we just mentioned, this five-year plan is a strategic plan which sets out the blueprint for Hong Kong's economic and social development in the next five years. It will also provide the impetus for our industrial upgrading, economic development, and technological innovation. So I think that will be my first priority, and the priority of my bureau. And this is a very important step in Hong Kong's development.
And as you mentioned, that I have already retired from the civil service. That said, I have been watching closely what's happening in Hong Kong, as my heart is so closely attached to Hong Kong. And my experience in the Government, in liaison with various sectors, the Legislative Council and the other sectors, and to listen to their views in formulating major policies and in the implementation of various policy measures, would definitely be the necessary skills for the bureau and my working out of the best plan for Hong Kong in the next five years. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
The newly appointed Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Miss Janice Tse Siu-wa, at the media session this morning. Photo source: Screenshot of RTHK's Livestream
