Adopting an expansionary fiscal stance, Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced a wide range of measures on February 26, 2020 to stimulate the economy and to tackle the current economic challenges by making optimal use of the fiscal reserves in his 2020-21 Budget.
Hong Kong’s economy contracted by 1.2% in 2019, and the full-year growth for 2020 is forecast to be between -1.5% and 0.5%. In the medium term, Hong Kong’s economy will grow by an average of 2.8% per annum in real terms from 2021 to 2024.
The sound fiscal reserves of about US$141 billion (HK$1,100 billion) allow the Government to implement counter-cyclical measures to help support enterprises and smoothen livelihoods. These measures include a one-time cash payout of US$1,282 (HKS10,000) to Hong Kong permanent residents, concessionary low-interest loan for small and medium enterprises and reductions in salaries and profits tax.
The value of total retail sales in August, provisionally estimated at US$3.7 billion, fell 23% year-on-year. The plunge reflected the weak consumer sentiment amid subdued economic conditions, and the severe disruptions to inbound tourism and consumption-related activities caused by the local social incidents.The Government said retail sales had registered the steepest year-on-year decline for a single month on record, even worse than that recorded in September 1998 during the Asian Financial Crisis. The Government will closely monitor the situation and the implications for the labor market and the economy.
