Hong Kong leader says she’ll cut taxes, ease housing crunch

Anthony Kwan | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, speaks during a Q&A session in the chamber of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, China, on July 5, 2017.

Hong Kong will cut company profits tax to 8.25 percent for the first HK$2 million of earnings, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in her maiden policy address on Wednesday in which she laid out some of her priorities for the next five years.

The Hong Kong leader also said she would address the city’s astronomical housing prices by seeking to increase land supply and launch a new housing scheme to help families buy flats.

Hong Kong property prices, already among the world’s highest, have continued to rise over the past year despite the government implementing a raft of cooling measures.

Since taking office on July 1, Hong Kong’s first female leader has sought to heal social divisions amid growing tensions with China, and to forge a softer and more socially engaged leadership style than her predecessor, the staunchly pro-Beijing Leung Chun-ying.