Hong Kong’s proposed cross-border car fee won’t harm integration, Paul Chan says

Hong Kong’s finance chief has rejected suggestions that his proposal to charge drivers as they cross the border into mainland China will hinder integration efforts, but he has left the door open to discussions on the fee amount.

Paul Chan Mo-po insisted on Saturday that the proposed fee for drivers of private vehicles, one of the measures announced in his latest budget, would only affect 15 per cent of travellers heading to the mainland.

“People claim that the boundary facilities fee will affect people heading north and integration with the mainland. I think this claim is unjustified,” Chan told a radio show.

He added that many travellers crossed the border on coaches and trains.

Chan said those who used private vehicles tended to be better off financially and it was reasonable for the government to recoup some of its costs after investing in building and maintaining border-crossing infrastructure.

“But I have to stress that this is a proposal. We can further explore and study in detail, such as how to do it and what the fee amounts will be,” Chan said.