Hong Kong Watch hosts workshop on personal tax and England's tax system

As part of Hong Kong Watch’s political and civic engagement series, Hong Kong Watch hosted a workshop on 27 November 2023 to discuss England’s tax system with chartered professional accountant and Hong Kong community volunteer Thomas Fung. 

Over 40 Hong Kongers filled up a lecture theatre in central London to listen to Thomas explain the intricacies of the UK tax system, with a comprehensive presentation on the different types of tax that apply to individuals and the tax implications for investments, overseas income, and foreign insurance policies. 

The presentation, introduced by Thomas Benson, Policy Advisor at Hong Kong Watch, was followed by small group discussions with participants unpacking the tax implications of a given scenario, to test their new understanding of England’s tax system. Thomas also hosted a Q&A session, fielding questions on everything from pension to inheritances in Hong Kong. 

The event attendees paid close attention to Thomas’ presentation and were full of follow-up questions, with the Q&A session running for an extra half hour to ensure that all the participants were able to ask questions relating to their personal circumstances. Even after the event concluded, a number of participants stayed behind to talk one-to-one with Thomas, demonstrating the high level of interest among BNOs in understanding the tax system of their new home. 

This event was supported by the Greater London Authority (GLA) as part of Hong Kong Watch’s civic and political education programme, which aims to forge connections within the Hong Kong BNO community and explore the ways they can engage with civic and democratic processes in the UK. This is a strictly cross-party and impartial series.

We thank our speaker, Thomas Fung, and our volunteers for their contribution and support.

特許專業會計師帶領香港監察工作坊 詳盡講解英格蘭稅務制度

香港監察週一在倫敦大學學院演講廳舉辦公民及政治參與系列下的工作坊，探討英格蘭稅務制度。活動由特許專業會計師、香港社區義工Thomas Fung帶領。

超過40名香港人參加工作坊，聆聽Thomas解釋英國稅務制度複雜的細節。Thomas詳盡講解了不同類型的個人稅務，以及對投資、外地收入和境外保單的稅務影響。

有關演講由香港監察研究及政策顧問Thomas Benson介紹，其後設有小組討論環節，邀請參加者解釋特定情境的稅務影響，以測試他們對英格蘭稅務制度的新理解。Thomas亦主持了問答環節，回答香港退休金及遺產等各方面的問題。

工作坊參加者非常專注聆聽Thomas的講解，並提出許多跟進問題。問答環節更延長了半小時，確保所有參加者都能就個人情況發問。活動結束後，仍有不少參加者留下來與Thomas一對一傾談，顯示BNO港人極有興趣了解新家的稅務制度。

今次活動由大倫敦政府（Greater London Authority）支持，是香港監察公民及政治教育系列的一部分。計劃旨在讓香港BNO社群建立連繫，並探索在英國參與公民及民主進程的方式。這是完全跨黨派和中立的活動系列。

香港監察非常感謝講者Thomas Fung和義工的參與和支持。