Curtis W., 15, HKIS
The economic condition of Hong Kong in the year of 2011 is faring quite well. The housing market is booming, unemployment is low, and everyone seems to be moving along just fine. In fact, many are struggling just to put enough food on the table every day. According to a report compiled by a welfare body, 1/5 of Hong Kong citizens live below the poverty line. So what we can do is increase the taxes of the rich so that the money can then be used to help soothe the pressures of the poor. But even if the government had a lot of money, if it didn’t know how to use it properly it would all go to waste. So a more effective and smart government will have to take control.
2011 so far isn’t going so poorly. People seem to be making money. A lot of investment and trading is happening in housing, and most people have jobs. The problem is inflation has been going wild over the past few years. Hong Kong does not have much of an industry left, which means that all we use I in Hong Kong is probably imported from all over the world. So any increase in the price of anything will also mean we will have to pay more for that product. Not everyone needs to drive, own 60-inch LCD televisions, and grand pianos from Germany, but we all need to eat. Food primarily comes from China, and as the cost to produce food has gone up, along with the increasingly high value of the RMB, inflation of food prices increases in Hong Kong. People can’t even afford to eat properly anymore.
This is where the rich step in. It seems quite odd to me that the rich pay the same tax rate as the poor people who pay taxes too. It would have less effect to tax a person earning 1M a month 15% than it would someone earning 15,000. As we are all equal and part of the HK society, it is the responsibility of those that are better off to step in during times of difficulty and pay more taxes. This won’t bankrupt the rich, but rather it will divert some of their money to help those desperately in need of cash. In a city known for its insane competitiveness and bustling economy, it is a great shock that 1/5, 20% of our population, live under the poverty line, which is extreme poverty. How can we, those who are civilized, wealthy and educated, watch as our less fortunate and well-off counterparts starve and have to worry just to scrape by? Rich people should pay more taxes, as Warren E. Buffet, one of the most wealthy, generous men in the world, explained in his op-ed. It is the responsibility for those who are rich to also take a share in helping fight off problems, not just those who are of working class and live normal lives. This tax is not going to endure for the rest of eternity, but rather it is a way to aid those under the poverty line until they can escape it. Rich people should be proud that they are able to pay taxes to help those in need, because it proves they are capable and successful members in society. They are not being punished for being rich, but being recognized for it. But all this money cannot be useful unless the government that receives it knows how to use it. We need a more capable leader. The government head is like the head of an organization, and no company can run well without someone who is capable. Apple wouldn’t be Apple without Steve Jobs, Microsoft wouldn’t be Microsoft without Bill Gates. With a capable government that understands the people, understands how to change social situations, and has the courage to foster change, then the money rich people pay will be well spent. Otherwise, we will have paid for money to go to waste, and I say that we should not give a single cent. I am not a miser, and most people aren’t.
It would only be appropriate and morally right that the rich people of HK do their job as citizens and members of society to pay more taxes, but only if the government we are giving it to has good plans and effective civil servants to make it happen. If we are paying taxes simply to fulfill the politicians’ cries, then the government’s bending to their wills, and we would have paid in vain.
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