Hong Kong Appoints Revenue Commissioner After Multiple Disasters

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

03 August 2001

Alice Lau Mak Yee-ming, 51, who has been acting Commissioner for Inland Revenue in Hong Kong since last March has now been formally appointed to the post. Mrs Lau's rise through the Department has been meteoric: when the job was originally advertised last November, Mrs Lau was only assistant commissioner and thus not qualified for in-service application for the commissioner post. But she was promoted to Deputy Commissioner last February (which qualified her to apply) before becoming Acting Commissioner in March.

Acting Secretary for the Civil Service Anissa Wong Sean-yee said ''In the light of the outcome of the recruitment exercise and the operation of the Department in the past months under Mrs Lau, the Administration considers it appropriate to appoint her to the post''.

The Commissioner post become vacant when former Commissioner Wong Ho-sang was sacked in mid-1999 over a conflict of interest. He was found to have handled tax files prepared by his wife's tax consultancy and allegedly failed to declare his interests as required. Then Deputy Commissioner Agnes Sin Law Yuk-lin was made Acting Commissioner but was convicted of housing allowance fraud in December last year along with her husband. When Mrs Sin was forced to leave her post, another Deputy Commissioner, Elmo Charles D'Souza, was promoted temporarily to Acting Commissioner's shoes - but he retired from the civil service at the end of February.

After unsuccessfully attempting to persuade retired Commissioner of Inland Revenue Anthony Au-yeung Fu, 65, to return to his department - a move which caused one well-known commentator to say: 'If Mr Au-yeung is recruited, it would send a very bad signal, as it would seem Hong Kong had run out of the talent to head the department.' - the Government turned to the private sector. In April, it was widely rumoured that they were in discussions with Jonathan Fewtrell of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and an announcement was expected 'within days'. But the candidate, whether or not Mr Fewtrell, declined the offer for personal reasons.

Secretary for the Treasury, Denise Yue Chung-yee said: ''Mrs Lau has 30 years' professional working experience in the Inland Revenue Department. She is an experienced officer with extensive knowledge in the field, proven leadership skills, and good management and organisational abilities. We have full confidence in her ability to lead the staff of the Department to devote their utmost in discharging their duties.''

To put it mildly, the job has been a minefield, and the Government must be pleased it has now been able to appoint a qualified and uncontroversial candidate. Just keep your fingers crossed that Mrs Lau doesn't have an Australian nanny without a work permit!

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