HK to provide additional funding to provide more jobs

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

HONG KONG, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Tsang said on Wednesday the government would

provide additional funding to provide various types of jobs.

Delivering the budget for the fiscal year 2009-2010 at the Legislative

Council, Tsang said he would provide an additional 1.1 billion HK dollars

non-recurrent funding to provide various types of jobs.

According to Tsang, the measures include introducing a two-year "Operation

Building Bright" campaign for maintenance of 1,000 dilapidated buildings. The

campaign will create 10,000 jobs in the next two years.

"I will earmark 100 million HK dollars to assist organizers to host more

attractive events in the areas of arts, culture and sports over the next three

years to further promote Hong Kong as an events capital of Asia", said Tsang.

This will help attract more tourists, stimulate consumption and promote

economic development. It was expected that such activities will create some

2,800 jobs, he said.

Tsang said 78 million HK dollars would be allocated to promote and organize

community involvement activities and to publicize the 2009 East Asian Games.

As the year of 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the

People's Republic of China, Hong Kong will join with various sectors of the

community to organize a number of celebration activities. These activities will

create about 260 jobs.

"I will earmark 63 million HK dollars to conduct a one-year education

program to teach Internet users, especially young students, how to use the

Internet appropriately and safely," said Tsang,

"It is expected that this program will create about 500 jobs,” he added.

And an additional 130 million HK dollars will be allocated to carry out

works to enhance energy efficiency of government buildings and public

facilities. It is expected that this measure will create some 200 jobs while

helping to improve the quality of public buildings.

Hong Kong financial secretary presents

2009-2010 budget

HONG KONG, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Financial Secretary of

the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Tsang began outlining

the budget for the fiscal year 2009-2010 at the Legislative Council here

Wednesday morning.

Delivering his second budget speech at the

Legislative Council, Tsang said the global financial environment has changed

dramatically last year, referring to what he called a "once-in-a-century

financial turmoil." Full story

HKSAR gov't continues managing public

finances prudently

HONG KONG, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Hong Kong's top

financial official said here Wednesday that he would continue managing public

finances prudently by keeping expenditure within the limits of revenues, and

maintaining a low and simple tax regime.

John Tsang, financial secretary of the Hong Kong

Special Administrative Region, said he had stated his principles of management

of public finances in the 2008-2009 Budget, including managing public finances

prudently by keeping expenditure within the limits of revenues, maintaining a

low and simple tax regime, and following the direction of "Market Leads,

Government Facilitates". Full story

HK to spend 300 bln HKD to create job

opportunities

HONG KONG, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Hong Kong would spend

more than 300 billion HK dollars (about 38.46 billion U.S. dollars) to ease

pressure of economic contraction, boost domestic demand and increase employment

opportunities, said Hong Kong's top financial official here Wednesday.

"We will also introduce some targeted measures to

provide various types of jobs and internship opportunities," said John Tsang,

financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)

government, when delivering his second budget speech to the Legislative

Council. Full story

HK gov't to create jobs, support

employment

HONG KONG, Feb. 25 (Chinese media) -- Financial Secretary of

the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Tsang said here

Wednesday that the budget for the fiscal year 2009-2010 was guided by principles

including job creation.

Delivering his second budget speech as financial

secretary at the Legislative Council here Wednesday morning, Tsang said that

since his first Budget made in 2008, the global financial environment had

changed dramatically. Therefore, in preparing this year's Budget, he had been

guided by three principles. Full story