Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, center, attends the press conference on the 2018-2019 Budget of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Hong Kong, China, 28 February 2018. A budget with a clear eye on the future and massive expenditure to alleviate people's burdens ¨C these were the twin pledges from Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po as he set out the Hong Kong government's spending blueprint with a record surplus of HK$138 billion (US$17.7 billion) as its centrepiece. A chunk of the bounty, more than HK$50 billion, will be shared with at least 2 million Hongkongers ¨C mostly through targeted tax reliefs, rate waivers and beefed-up allowances. And in an even-handed gesture, he pledged to invest the same amount on hi-tech development to transform the economy. "The current-term government is ready to think out of the box and act proactively to open up new horizons for Hong Kong, " Chan declared, as he delivered his first budget under the Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor administration.
