Mr President, Honourable Members and fellow citizens,
I move that the Appropriation Bill 2025 be read a second time.
Introduction
2. The Budget is presented at the halfway stage of the current-term Government.
3. Over the past year, we have seen a number of positive developments in Hong Kong. Our economy has grown for two consecutive years. The employment market has been stable, while inflation remains moderate. Our efforts to attract talent and enterprises have been remarkably successful. The successive staging of large scale international mega events has been coupled with a notable increase in visitor arrivals. And sentiment in the stock market continues to improve alongside a generally buoyant atmosphere across the city.
4. Nevertheless, Hong Kong has also experienced a lot of challenges. The international geopolitical landscape has caused disruptions to trade, supply chain, cash flow and sentiment in the investment market. Local asset prices are contained under a relatively high interest rate environment, whereas the retail and catering markets are still troubled by changes in the consumption pattern of visitors and our residents.
5. While putting Hong Kong's economic resilience to the test, these challenges signify to us the necessity to reform, innovate and relentlessly improve in the process of economic development. Although the large-scale, counter-cyclical measures launched over the last few years in response to the pandemic have helped us achieve our goal of "supporting enterprises, safeguarding jobs, stabilising the economy and easing the burden on people", we have experienced fiscal deficits these few years as a result. Last year, revenue related to the asset market was far lower than expected due to a host of internal and external factors, and we continue to record a higher deficit this year.
6. In this Budget, I propose a "reinforced version" of the fiscal consolidation programme, including a cumulative reduction of government recurrent expenditure by seven per cent from now through 2027-28. Strictly containing public expenditure is a must, but we should proceed in a steady and prudent manner and be careful to find a balance among the various impacts that may arise in the process. While laying a sustainable fiscal foundation for future development, this approach represents our all-out effort to minimise the impact on public services and people's livelihood. It gives us a clear pathway towards the goal of restoring fiscal balance in the Operating Account, in a planned and progressive manner, within the current term of the Government.
7. To seize the opportunities brought about by the rapid advancement of innovation and technology, we must accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis (NM). It is an investment in our future. Given our prerequisites and capabilities, we can suitably expand the size of bond issuance on the premise of maintaining healthy public finances and use the funds raised in a proper and flexible manner to invest in Hong Kong's future and create value for our society.
8. In the midst of global changes, technological innovation is our core engine. We must expedite our economic development, in particular boosting new economic driving forces while enhancing the competitive edge of traditional industries at an accelerated pace. Technology reform and artificial intelligence (AI) development are remolding the global landscape, leading to the emergence of new industries, new forms of business, new products and new services. We have to seize the opportunity to make the most out of this critical window to speed up our development, establishing the new before abolishing the old. Transformation and innovation will lead our way into the future, and we are poised to fast-track the high quality development of Hong Kong's economy. I will elaborate on this a little later.
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