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Written by: Huang Yongyu
2021-01-28 14:26
Last update date: 2021-01-28 14:26
The fourth wave of new crown pneumonia epidemic continued, hitting various industries hard.
The Hong Kong Newspaper Vendor Alliance held a press conference today (28th), saying that the industry’s business has plummeted by 80% on average. It is worried that if the situation persists, there may be a "trend of stalls" in the next few months.
In addition to selling newspapers and periodicals, newspaper vendors are also a source of income from cigarette sales. Newspaper vendors hope that the government will freeze tobacco taxes in the budget and strengthen the crackdown on illicit cigarettes.
According to the Hong Kong Newspaper Vendor Alliance, the industry’s business has plummeted by 80% on average, and it is worried that if the situation continues, there may be a "trend of stalls" in the next few months (photo by Huang Yongyu)
Liao Sheqing, chairman of the Hong Kong Newspaper Vendor Alliance, said that under the epidemic, the retail industry was the first to bear the brunt. The industry's business fell by an average of 80%. One of the main reasons was the sharp decline in cigarette sales.
He pointed out that the sale of illicit cigarettes was more active during the epidemic. According to customs figures, 191 million illicit cigarettes were seized last year, a 20-year high, and the amount of taxes involved was about 364 million.
Liao said that there is no business for newspaper vendors to open files, and worrying about increasing tobacco tax will only "add the situation worse."
The group suggested that the government freeze tobacco taxes until the problem of illicit cigarettes is improved, and in the budget, exempt license fees for license filings, and business registration fees for merchants, and strengthen operations against illicit cigarettes.
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