Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes
An incoming passenger was sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment and fined $1,500 by the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts today (August 17) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).
Customs officers intercepted an incoming private car at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point yesterday (August 16) and seized 11 600 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $52,200 and a duty potential of about $38,300, from a 30-year-old Mainland male passenger's personal luggage. The male passenger was subsequently arrested.
Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences.
Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Flat selections for Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Flats 2025 to commence from August 25
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
Flat selections for the Sale of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) Flats 2025 (GSH 2025) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) will commence from August 25.The HA will invite eligible applicants in batches to select flats for sale under GSH 2025, via mail or email, at the designated time at the office of the HA's GSH Sales Unit in Kwun Tong (GSH Sales Office), according to the priority under the respective application category.
Flat selections for GSH 2025 to commence first enhancing the housing ladder
"The HA has long been striving to enhance the housing ladder through the provision of various types of subsidised sales flat (SSF) schemes and continuous enhancement of relevant arrangements in order to assist Public Rental Housing (PRH) tenants with better financial capabilities and other eligible applicants to achieve upward mobility by purchasing SSFs. The HA jointly launchedthe Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2025 (HOS 2025), GSH 2025 and the White Form Secondary Market Scheme 2025 with applications invited in April. The ballots for three schemes were separately drawn on July 10. Given that flat selections for GSH 2025 are set to commence from August 25, we encourage the eligible applicants to seize the opportunity and fulfil their home ownership aspirations early," a spokesman for the HA said today (August 17).
Convenient location of Shing Chi Court and diversified choices of flats
Flats for sale under GSH 2025 include over 800 flats from the conveniently located new GSH development, Shing Chi Court, in Kowloon Bay with saleable areas ranging from about 26.0 square metres to about 43.6 sq m (about 280 square feet to about 469 sq ft) (see Annex 1). In addition, about 120 resale GSH flats and a new batch of about 400 recovered Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) flats will be offered for sale under GSH 2025.
Affordable pricing to facilitate home ownership
The HA continues to determine the selling price of GSH flats at an affordable level, helping members of the public to step onto the housing ladder with ease and realise the dream of homeownership. Based on the principle of setting selling prices at an affordable level, the discount rate for HOS 2025 was set at 30 per cent from the assessed market level. Since flats under GSH 2025 will be sold at a discount of 10 per cent more than that of HOS 2025, the discount for GSH 2025 was set at 40 per cent from the assessed market values (i.e. for sale at 60 per cent of the assessed market values).
The selling prices of flats in Shing Chi Court under GSH 2025, range from about $1.68 million to $3.54 million. The mortgage payment is about $11,500 per month, assuming a flat selling price of $2.7 million (saleable area of around 35.3 sq m or 380 sq ft) and that the buyer takes out a mortgage at 95 per cent of the flat price for a mortgage repayment period of 30 years at a prevailing mortgage interest rate of about 3.5 per cent.
Priority flat selection for families with newborns or elderly and extra support for single applicants (see Annex 2)
The order of priority for flat selection by eligible applicants will be determined by the application category, quota allocation and ballot results. Affected tenants of the HA's announced PRH clearance projects (i.e. Wah On House, Wah Lok House, Wah Cheong House, Wah Tai House and Wah Kin House of Wah Fu Estate; Pik Hoi House, Kam Pik House and Tan Fung House of Choi Hung Estate; Geranium House and Narcissus House of Ma Tau Wai Estate and Sai Wan Estate) who would like to purchase an SSF in lieu of PRH will be accorded priority in flat selection over other applicants under GSH 2025.
The HA sets a quota of 350 new GSH flats under GSH 2025 for family applicants applying under the Priority Scheme for Families with Elderly Members and Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme for balloting and priority flat selection (i.e. about 40 per cent of the number of new flats for sale). Separately, to provide one-person applicants with a reasonable opportunity to purchase, the HA has set a quota of 100 new GSH flats under GSH 2025 for one-person applicants (i.e. about 10 per cent of the number of new flats for sale).
Diversified information and exhibitions for easy understanding of the developments
"Sales brochures for GSH developments (and sales pamphlets for recovered TPS flats) and price lists will be made available for public collection at the GSH Sales Office and for viewing on the HA/Housing Department (HD)'s designated website (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/gsh/2025/en) starting from tomorrow (August 18) up to the end of the flat selection period for GSH 2025," the spokesman said.
Project models of the new development and doll houses of GSH typical flats, virtual videos of samples of GSH flats, virtual reality tours of the interiors of samples of GSH and recovered TPS flats, exhibition panels/electronic panels and other information on GSH developments and TPS estates will be available for public viewing at the GSH Sales Office and on the designated website.
During the flat selection period, video clips of the interiors of all recovered TPS flats for sale will be provided at the GSH Sales Office and on the designated website. Arrangements will be made with relevant stakeholders to facilitate the viewing of these recovered TPS flats as far as practicable.
Flat selections for HOS 2025 to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026 helping to achieve the homeownership aspirations
HOS 2025 will offer about 7 000 flats in five new HOS developments, with flat selections to commence shortly in the fourth quarter of 2026, which will continue to help the public in achieving their homeownership aspirations.
Applicants may call the 24-hour HA Sales Hotline at 2712 8000 for enquiries.
Source: AI-found images
