Print

Mail

wiki links

Hundreds protest in Hong Kong over cuts in welfare benefits

A Filipina domestic helper puts on a headband saying ``no to wage cut'' to protest a new tax and cuts in salaries at a demonstration in Hong Kong, yesterday. The Hong Kong government announced last week that it would introduce a new tax and impose a pay cut for the territory's thousands of domestic helpers prompting Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's government to threaten to stop allowing Filipina maids to come to Hong Hong. PHOTO: AFP

About 800 people protested in Hong Kong yesterday against plans by the government, one of the richest in the world, to cut welfare payments to tackle a gaping deficit and lingering economic woes.

"The poor are being butchered," chanted welfare recipients ranging from the elderly to the handicapped.

"Down with the government for taking aim at the grassroot people," they shouted as they marched to the government headquarters in the Central business district.

Carrying a giant paper bowl with cracks, they accused the government of smashing their rice bowls.

Last week, the government announced plans to cut welfare payments. The move will bring savings of HK$1.03 billion this year and next year, HK$1.55 billion in 2004/2005 and HK$1.71 billion in 2005/2006.

Poor families on Comprehensive Social Service Assistance (CSSA) -- the largest welfare scheme in the territory -- and recipients of disability allowance will have payments cut by 11.1 percent, besides cuts in other benefits.

Cuts for CSSA recipients who are old, disabled or in poor health will come in two phases, the first in October and the next in October 2004. The rest will take effect from June 1.

A household of four on welfare assistance now gets about HK$10,000 (US$1,280) a month.

"Life is already so miserable now. After the cuts, where do I get money to go to the doctor's?" an elderly woman said.

The government reiterated the cuts were not targeted at vulnerable groups or aimed at easing the budget deficit, but just to bring it in line with continuous deflation in the territory over the last few years.

Welfare spending is estimated to reach HK$32.1 billion (US$4.1 billion) this year and next year, half of it for CSSA payments. Welfare payments will account for nearly 15 percent of recurrent public expenditure this fiscal year.

The demonstrators also urged the administration to create more jobs and drop plans to raise hospital fees. They also called on the government not to impose widely expected rises in taxes and government fees in the budget to be delivered on Wednesday.

Hong Kong does not officially define a poverty line but social workers put it around HK$2,500 per person a month. On that basis, 18 percent of the population of 6.8 million lives in poverty.
This story has been viewed 6163 times.