国产热热热精品,亚洲视频久久】日韩,三级婷婷在线久久,99人妻精品视频,精品九热人人肉肉在线,AV东京热一区二区,91po在线视频观看,久久激情宗合,青青草黄色手机视频

Old age allowance may reach HK$1,000 for the truly needy

Updated: 2008-10-16 07:34

By Peggy Chan(HK Edition)

  Print Mail Large Medium  Small

The chief executive proposed in his policy address to raise the Old Age Allowance to HK$1,000, but also ensure that the money is going to the truly needy.

"To solve the aging problem, we need a comprehensive strategy on the provision of financial support for the elderly," Tsang said, adding that the limited financial resources should be spent on those in genuine need.

The allowance may also eventually include a "means test", which would serve to exclude those who can support themselves.

A government source said the means test is required to lessen the government's financial burden.

At present, people between 65 and 69 who are single can receive an monthly allowance of HK$625 if their assets are less than HK$169,000. Married couples are eligible if their assets do not exceed HK$254,000.

Recipients over 70 can receive HK$705 a month.

By 2015, HK$4.4 billion is expected to be spent on the allowance if the current level is maintained. That amount would increase to HK$6.4 billion if every senior citizen is given a HK$1,000 allowance each month.

"However, the SAR government will never reduce resources allocated on taking care of the elderly," Tsang said at a press conference after the policy address. He also pledged that current allowance recipients would not be affected, and those who are financially self-sufficient would receive other forms of concessions.

The government is also considering relaxing the permissible limit of absence from Hong Kong for the allowance recipients. Yet details such as the application criteria and whether the current recipients can also get the raised level have not been discussed.

Tsang said the allowance review will be completed by the end of this year.

Qualifying for payment

The government's consideration of a means test is receiving plenty of criticism.

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong Chairman Tam Yiu-chung objected to the mechanism, saying it is disrespectful to senior citizens.

Some also said the original purpose of the allowance will vanish if a test is imposed.

Ken Chan, the service development chief officer of Hong Kong Council of Social Services, said the allowance is given out of respect to the elderly, and to help them.

Sammy Chiu, a professor of social work at Hong Kong Baptist University, also criticized the test.

"The mechanism will create a deterrent. As a result, a group of people may get nothing, as they are neither eligible to receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance nor the (age allowance), as they want to avoid a means test," Chiu said.

He also said he thought the extension of the permissible limit of absence from Hong Kong wouldn't be helpful, as only a minority would need more than the currently permitted 240 days.

"This would be a group that resides in elderly homes on the mainland," he added.

Yet Chan welcomed the proposal, saying it still benefits some senior citizens.

(HK Edition 10/16/2008 page1)

永福县| 珠海市| 哈巴河县| 光泽县| 大田县| 吉林省| 手机| 甘泉县| 若尔盖县| 商丘市| 林甸县| 台北市| 柳州市| 鄂托克旗| 新和县| 新宁县| 抚宁县| 儋州市| 永嘉县| 金沙县| 泗洪县| 西安市| 启东市| 韩城市| 闸北区| 陆良县| 灵丘县| 万山特区| 富锦市| 石棉县| 玉龙| 长汀县| 景洪市| 乌审旗| 潍坊市| 左贡县| 翼城县| 云梦县| 安宁市| 隆林| 来安县|