Latest news with #DominicLee
RTHK
02-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
'Target senior officials for civil service pay cuts'
'Target senior officials for civil service pay cuts' The survey finds 80 percent of respondents support civil service pay adjustments in times of fiscal pressure. Photo: RTHK New People's Party lawmaker Dominic Lee, together with the Civil Force, on Friday urged the government to mainly target senior officials for future pay cuts. Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced a pay freeze for executive authorities and all civil servants in his Budget in February . In a survey that took in more than 650 Hong Kong residents over the past two weeks, Lee said, civil service pay adjustments in times of fiscal pressures were supported by around 80 percent of respondents. Around 70 percent believed senior officials should be the primary target for pay cuts, while just three percent support slashing the salaries of frontline staff. Lee hopes cuts in civil service pay in the future will only target senior officials. 'A lot of people felt that government officials at higher levels are receiving a lot of taxpayers' dollars, so they have a bigger responsibility to bear a share of the financial burden,' he said. 'Hong Kong is facing a lot of economic problems. "I think if we also extend the pay cuts to lower and mid-level civil servants, that will really affect the general economic situation of Hong Kong.' Lee said more than 80 percent support linking civil service pay to the city's economic performance.
HKFP
25-04-2025
- Business
- HKFP
Increasing Airport Express fares could drive passengers away, lawmakers say
Increasing Hong Kong's Airport Express fares could drive passengers to choose other modes of transport instead, lawmakers have said. Speaking at a Legislative Council Panel on Transport meeting on Friday, lawmaker Dominic Lee cited figures showing that ridership of the Airport Express had only recovered to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. 'Actually, airport statistics and figures from some airlines show that their recovery is higher than 70 per cent,' he said in Cantonese. 'Does this show that after the pandemic, there are some citizens who used to take the Airport Express but now choose other ways to get to the airport?' he said. 'If you increase the fares… would it further affect ridership?' On Tuesday, the MTR Corporation (MTRC) – which operates the Airport Express – proposed hiking the airport train's fares, citing financial challenges due to a drop in passengers since the pandemic. Currently, the adult Octopus fares for the Airport Express from Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Tsing Yi Stations to the airport are HK$110, HK$100, and HK$65 respectively. The proposals could see the fares rise to HK$120, HK$105, and HK$73. On Friday, lawmaker Lo Wai-kwok also expressed concern that the Airport Express was facing competition from other modes of transport. He said he observed that tourists and Hongkongers were using ride-hailing apps more often. 'I think this has affected the Airport Express's business,' Lo said in Cantonese. Commissioned in 1998, the Airport Express links the airport with Hong Kong, Kowloon, and Tsing Yi stations. Fares have only been raised once, in 2017, according to a Legislative Council paper written by the MTR Corporation. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is also set to increase its airport departure tax from HK$120 to HK$200. Authorities said on Wednesday that they would push ahead with the plan amid lawmakers' concerns that it could weaken the city's competitiveness. Hong Kong's status as an aviation hub took a major hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, when strict testing rules and mandatory quarantine periods in place for over three years led airlines to cut their routes to and from the city. Airport traffic figures have struggled to recover since. In 2024, the city saw 53.1 million passengers, down from 71.5 million in 2019.
