Author Archives: hksar gov

     Demand notes for rates and/or Government rent for the quarter from January to March 2019 have been issued, and payment should be made by January 31, 2019.
 
     The demand notes have reflected the rates concession for this quarter, subject to a ceiling of $2,500 for each rateable tenement. Any unused portion of the concession in this quarter will not be used to offset the outstanding rates in any other quarter. The concession does not apply to payment of Government rent.
              
     Payment can be made:

(1) by using autopay or electronic means (such as PPS, bank automated teller machine (ATM) or the Internet);
 
(2) by uploading an e-Cheque/e-Cashier’s Order via the Pay e-Cheque portal www.payecheque.gov.hk;
 
(3) by sending a crossed cheque to the Treasury, PO Box 28000, Gloucester Road Post Office, Hong Kong (please note that mail with underpaid postage will be rejected); or
 
(4) in person at any of the post offices or designated convenience stores. For the addresses and opening hours of post offices, please call Hongkong Post’s hotline (2921 2222), or visit www.hongkongpost.hk.
 
     If demand notes have not been received, members of the public may call 2152 0111, fax 2152 0113, or visit the Rating and Valuation Department, 15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon.
 
     Members of the public can also visit the department’s website at www.rvd.gov.hk to obtain replacement demand notes or enquire about the amount payable. For instant payment, payers may obtain a payment QR code from the Account Enquiries service at the website by using a mobile device and present it at any post office, 7-Eleven, Circle K or VanGO in Hong Kong. Members of the public may also take a demand note for any previous quarter to any of the following post offices, where replacement demand notes can be obtained and payment can be made:
 
(1) General Post Office, 2 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong;
 
(2) Gloucester Road Post Office, 1/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong;
 
(3) Kowloon Central Post Office, G/F, Kowloon Government Offices, 405 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon; and
 
(4) Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office, G/F and 1/F, Hermes House, 10 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.
 
     A surcharge of 5 per cent will be imposed for late payment and a further surcharge of 10 per cent will be levied on the amount (including the 5 per cent surcharge) that remains unpaid six months after the payment deadline.
 
     To support environmental protection, payers are advised to utilise the free eRVD Bill service to receive e-bills and make payments. They are also encouraged to settle bills by autopay or other means of e-payment (e.g. PPS, ATM, the Internet or e-Cheque/e-Cashier Order) in order to save queuing time. Application forms for autopay are obtainable from the Rating and Valuation Department, District Offices and major banks in Hong Kong or by telephoning 2152 0111. Payers may also download the form from the department’s website. read more

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present a series of talks entitled "Cantonese Opera Libretti and Scripts – From Texts to Performance" from January to March. The six talks will be hosted by Sun … read more

     Primary and secondary school students interested in joining the Jockey Club Student Drawing Competition of the Hong Kong Flower Show 2019 are invited to enrol through their schools by January 8.
 
     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the competition will be held on March 15 at Victoria Park.
 
     The competition will be conducted in four categories: Junior Section in Primary School (Primary One to Primary Three), Senior Section in Primary School (Primary Four to Primary Six), Junior Section in Secondary School (Form One to Form Three) and Senior Section in Secondary School (Form Four to Form Six).
 
     The competition for the primary school categories will be held from 9am to noon, while that for the secondary school categories will be held from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.
 
     The competition will feature students’ drawings of floral exhibits or garden displays in the showground with a view to enhancing awareness of conserving plants and the natural environment. Participants may draw or paint to illustrate the theme of this year’s drawing competition, “When Dreams Blossom”.
 
     The prospectus and entry form can be downloaded from the flower show webpage at www.hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2019/drawing.html. Completed forms should be signed by the principals of the participating schools and sent to the Chairman of the Fringe Activities Sub-committee, Hong Kong Flower Show 2019, at 7/F, Kwun Chung Municipal Services Building, 17 Bowring Street, Jordan, Kowloon, or submitted by fax (2314 2205) on or before January 8.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2267 6577.
 
     This year’s flower show will be held in Victoria Park for 10 days from March 15 to 24 featuring “When Dreams Blossom” as the main theme and with the Chinese hibiscus as the theme flower. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is supporting the flower show for the seventh consecutive year and has been the Major Sponsor of the flower show since 2014. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      During the winter surge, the Hospital Authority is closely monitoring the service demand of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rates of medical w… read more

     Hong Kong Customs today (January 3) conducted an anti-smuggling operation and detected a suspected smuggling case using fishing vessel in the waters off Lamma Island. About 100 300 kilograms of suspected smuggled frozen meat with an estimated market value of about $1.5 million were seized.
      
     Customs officers spotted a suspicious fishing vessel near Lamma Island leaving Hong Kong at high speed at dawn today. Officers then took immediate action and intercepted the fishing vessel for examination. The batch of suspected smuggled frozen meat were seized.
      
     During the operation, Customs officers arrested two 50-year-old male crew members and detained the fishing vessel for further investigation.
      
     Investigation is ongoing.
      
     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
      
     Hong Kong Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action to combat sea smuggling activities.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).