HONG KONG - Each eligible Hong Kong resident will receive a one-off hand-out of HK$4,000 (about $500) in a scheme of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, an official said on Friday.The Caring and Sharing Scheme will involve about 2.8 million residents and a total of HK$11 billion, said Paul Chan Mo-po, financial secretary of the Hong Kong SAR government.Under the new scheme, an eligible person who does not pay salaries tax will receive HK$4,000, and one who receives tax concession will get the difference between HK$4,000 and the amount of tax concession received.Eligible people include those who hold a Hong Kong identity card, ordinarily reside in Hong Kong and have reached the age of 18 on or before Dec 31 this year.They must not own any property in Hong Kong nor receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance payments, Old Age Allowance, Old Age Living Allowance or Disability Allowance.Chan said people who pay no tax and live in self-owned domestic properties that benefit less than HK$4,000 in rates concession, or those who pay tax but benefit less than HK$4,000 through tax and rates concession in aggregate, can also apply for the balance.Social security recipients who are set to receive extra allowance under the 2018-19 Budget can also receive the difference between HK$4,000 and the extra payments received.Secretary for Labor and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said time is needed to handle the applications. He hoped the payments can be made before next year's budget. band wristbandswristband keychainmake rubber braceletstrio spinnersbracelet maker online
Customers look at fireworks at a retail stand in Shijingshan district in Beijing on Feb 13, 2015. [Photo/CFP] BEIJING -- Chinese Lunar New Year is likely to be less noisy in Beijing in the future, as local authorities are considering a ban on fireworks, a traditional part of the celebrations. The city's legislative affairs office published a draft amendment Friday that prohibits fireworks within the fifth ring road. The draft will be open for public comment from Friday until Aug 26. Setting off firecrackers is a long-standing custom to celebrate the lunar new year, as Chinese believe the noise will drive away bad spirits and bring good luck. However, the tradition has caused fiery arguments in recent years, amid mounting air pollution complaints and safety concerns. Although fireworks are allowed within the city during the lunar new year, or Spring Festival, the number of fireworks sold has declined year by year since the current regulations took effect in 2005, according to Zhang Changyu with the legislative affairs office. In Beijing, the sales of fireworks and firecrackers during this year's Spring Festival dropped by around 30 percent year-on-year, and by nearly 74 percent compared with that 12 years ago, Zhang said. Nevertheless, they have continued to take their toll on air quality. During the past five years in Beijing, from the lunar new year's eve to the fifth day of the holiday period, two to four days saw heavy air pollution, according to Sun Feng with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center. From January to June, days with good air quality accounted for 55.3 percent, down 5.8 percentage points year-on-year, and the average density of hazardous fine particle matter PM2.5 was up 3.1 percent from the level in the first half of 2016. In addition, fireworks and firecrackers caused more than 2,100 fires, killing five people and injuring eight others during the Spring Festival holiday periods from 2005 to 2017, inflicting direct losses worth 150 million yuan ($22 million), Zhang said. In recent years, we've heard a stronger voice demanding stricter control of fireworks, and found that people care more about the environment and urban development, Zhang said, adding that the amendment aims to better adapt to the capital's development and safeguard citizens' lives and property. The proposed fireworks ban has split online opinion. Many support the idea, with some even suggesting a national ban, while opponents criticized it for killing off cultural traditions and questioned its effect on addressing the obstinate winter haze in Beijing. Nationwide, 444 cities, including 10 provincial capitals, have banned fireworks.
