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(1) today's foreign currency exchnage rate: 1 Chinese yuan (CNY) = 1.2 Hong Kong dollar, or
1 Hong Kong dollar = 0.83 CNY
(2) In a sense, it is unfair to compare Hong Kong with other economies, for HK has one of the lowest tax rates in the world.*
* One reason is readily apparent: It does not support trappings of a nation, such as military and diplomacy.
(3) List of countries by tax revenue as percentage of GDP. Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_revenue_as_percentage_of_GDP
According to Heritage Foundation (column 1),** total tax revenue as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) for the following economies:
Canada ...............................................33.4%
China, People's Republic of ................17.0
China, Republic of (Taiwan) ................12.4
Cuba ....................................................44.8
Denmark ..............................................50.0
France .................................................46.1
Germany ..............................................40.6
Greece .................................................33.5
Hong Kong ...........................................12.8
Inida ......................................................17.7
Irealnd ..................................................34.0
Israel .....................................................36.8
Italy .......................................................42.6
Japan ....................................................27.4
Luxembourg ..........................................36.4
Korea, South .........................................26.8
Mexico .....................................................9.7
Netherlands ...........................................39.5
Norway ..................................................43.6
Russia ....................................................36.9
Spain ......................................................37.3
Sweden ..................................................47.9
Switzerland ............................................30.1
United Arab Emirates ..............................1.4
United Kingdom .....................................39.0
United States (all levels) ........................26.9
** Reference 1: "Index of Economic Freedom, Heritage Foundation. Note: Tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was obtained from the individual country pages, under the "Fiscal Freedom" section. These numbers change. Please update the numbers for individual countries in the list."
My comment: Take Hong Kong for example:
"FISCAL FREEDOM 93.3 +0.3 [compared with the previous year]
Hong Kong’s effective tax rates are among the lowest in the world. Individuals are taxed either progressively, between 2 percent and 17 percent on income adjusted by deductions and allowances, or at a flat 15 percent of gross income, depending on which liability is lower. The top corporate income tax rate is 16.5 percent. Unincorporated businesses enjoy a lower rate of 15 percent. Excise duties on beer and wine were removed in 2008. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 13 percent."
Hong Kong, in "2011 Index of Economic Freedom," Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/index/Country/HongKong
(4) It just happens that a few days ago an international comparison of tax regimes in 19 nations (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong not among them) were released: taxing salary of $25,000 and $200,000.
Press Releases: Wide Tax Gaps Among Countries, UHY Study Finds. UHY, June 10, 2011.
http://www.uhy.com/pages/posts/wide-tax-gaps-among-countries-uhy-study-finds164.php
Please take notice that Dubai is a constituent emirate of UAE.
(The following report took up with the first half of the press release:
Alistair MacDonald, Europeans Found Taxed Heaviest: Russia's Rich Have Lightest Load. Wall Street Journal, Juen 13, 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304778304576377710593726674.html
)
(5) After I came to US, I frequently was puzzled by tax battles between Congress and the president. At last I learned that tax in Taiwan was (and is) among the lowest in the world--both individual and corporate income tax. After slashing tariff in advance of accession to World Trade Organization, Taiwan's tariff is also low.
【 在 bridged 的大作中提到: 】
: http://nf.nfdaily.cn/nfdsb/content/images/attachement/jpg/site88/20110614/001372a1c8c00f60f1bc08.jpg
: 上周,香港通过了市民减税方案,而派钱6000港元也公布了登记时间。港府“藏富于民”的惠民措施得到广大读者的好评,而据南都记者昨日调查,香港的G DP比广州、深圳高了不少,但港府征收的税比广州、深圳少了50%
: (以下引言省略...)
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