HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s deficit for this fiscal yr is anticipated to be slightly below HK$100 billion ($13 billion), the town’s finance chief stated on Saturday.
The federal government is “focussing on cost-saving measures” to deal with the deficit, Paul Chan instructed residents on a programme on public broadcaster RTHK the place he was gathering public suggestions forward of the upcoming funds.
“Though we have to transfer ahead with public works initiatives… we now have to prioritise developments in accordance with their urgency,” he stated.
The expansion charge of economic system within the first three quarters of 2024 was not as robust as anticipated resulting from excessive rates of interest and exterior challenges, Chan stated.
Hong Kong’s economic system is anticipated to develop 2.5% in 2024, he wrote in a weblog put up in December. That adopted a 1.8% third quarter progress charge, which fell under expectations.
The estimated deficit for the yr ending in March is about double the earlier forecast of HK$48.1 billion within the funds offered in February.
Chan attributed the deficit primarily to a pointy decline in land gross sales income. Boosting the economic system amid a fiscal deficit could be Hong Kong’s “greatest problem”, he stated.
($1 = 7.7779 Hong Kong {dollars})
