It is no surprise that Hong Kong will have HK$92 billion in budget surplus for 2017/18. But there are surprises on how financial resources were distributed on medium- and longer-term.
 
How sweet or sour is the budget for Hongkongers and companies?
 
On 17 March, experts invited by the South China Morning Post will give voice on the following questions:
·         Has the proposed budget addressed the city’s deep-seated thorny social issues including the poor and middle class? Does Hong Kong really need sweeteners?
·         Are the proposed budget measures sufficient in alleviating housing problems?
·         Should there be more initiatives to relieve the city’s SMEs financial burden?
·         Should a new tax scheme be introduced (such as GST) to offset foreseeable tax revenue decline caused by anageing workforce?
 
Panellists:
·         Agnes Chan, Managing Partner, Hong Kong & Macau, EY 
·         Ir Prof. Daniel M Cheng, Chairman, Federation of Hong Kong Industries
·         The Hon. James To, Legislative Councillor; Founding Member, The Democratic Party
·         The Hon.Mrs Regina Ip, Legislative Councillor; Chairperson, The New People's Party
·         Prof. Richard Wong, Philip Wong Kennedy Wong Professor in Political Economy, The University of Hong Kong
Moderator:
·         Yonden Lhatoo, Senior Editor, South China Morning Post
 
As one of the Supporting Organizations, members of HKUST Business School can enjoy 25% discount on admission tickets at HK$980 per person (including 3-course lunch).