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Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#361

Post by philwelch »

koheripbal wrote: post #343
Veen wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The explanation is the obvious one. The UK has a treaty with China intended to prevent what is happening from happening. China is in breach of the treaty and, in light of that, the UK is acting to protect people to whom it believes it has an obligation. It has nothing to do with either racism or nationalism.

No one is arguing that point. What is being debated is why very conservative racists in the UK culture are overwhelmingly supportive of Asians over Syrians and North Africans. ...and differential racism is my belief as to why.

So you’re starting from the presupposition that British conservatives are racist and then trying to explain away evidence contrary to that presupposition.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#362

Post by mistermann »

numakerg wrote: post #353
mistermann wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Legislation that has any kind of a racial (or perceived to be racial) aspect to it cannot really be discussed freely. Even though closing such loopholes may be perfectly legitimate, if exploitation of the loophole happens to correlate to a racially identifiable group, in the current age of social media based hyper propaganda it is a very dangerous political move for a career politician (or their party) to touch.

Even if that's the case (and I disagree that it is), I'm sure there are "satellite families" with the breadwinner working in Europe.

And I doubt there'd be an issue with racism making people reluctant to discuss the issue if they were the majority of the cases.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#363

Post by koheripbal »

numakerg wrote: post #254
99_00 wrote: post #198

I live in Vancouver. The pattern for many Hong Kong immigrants is to have the mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. So they enjoy the benefits of a low tax HK income. And they get all the nice things that go with living in high tax Canada while not contributing to it -free healthcare, subsided University, safe communities, clean enviro…

Then shouldn't the government be closing this loophole and taxing whatever vehicle they use to transfer wealth? I'd criticize an individual for evading taxes, but a "group" of people is just doing what people do. EDIT: If you want to talk about the "functional" value of immigrants, then you need to get to the root purpose and bring in whoever is having the most kids.

You are assuming that money ever gets to Canada. Half the time it's just kept in an account in Panama to be used when the family is on vacation or wants to buy a second home in another country.

Either that or it's brought in in literal cash. That's why the stories of Chinese home buyer showing up with literal briefcases in cash are all over the place.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#364

Post by koheripbal »

vanekjar wrote: post #325
99_00 wrote: post #198

I live in Vancouver. The pattern for many Hong Kong immigrants is to have the mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. So they enjoy the benefits of a low tax HK income. And they get all the nice things that go with living in high tax Canada while not contributing to it -free healthcare, subsided University, safe communities, clean enviro…

> mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. Why would the father pay taxes in Canada when he lives and works in HK (or anywhere else) and (likely) is not a Canadian tax resident? It doesn't make any sense. After all they pay local taxes in Canada while spending (GST, PST, property tax etc.)

Income tax is by far the largest and most progressive tax.

Sales taxes are small and regressive.

It's a monster difference.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#365

Post by vanekjar »

koheripbal wrote: post #364
vanekjar wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> mother and children live in Canada while the father works in HK.The family doesn't declare the foreign income in Canada. Why would the father pay taxes in Canada when he lives and works in HK (or anywhere else) and (likely) is not a Canadian tax resident? It doesn't make any sense. After all they pay local taxes in Canada while spending (GST, PST, property tax etc.)

Income tax is by far the largest and most progressive tax. Sales taxes are small and regressive. It's a monster difference.

How is the sales tax regressive when there is a fixed percentage?

Like the more I spent the less I pay in sales tax? I don't think so.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#366

Post by raydev »

vanekjar wrote: post #365
koheripbal wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Income tax is by far the largest and most progressive tax. Sales taxes are small and regressive. It's a monster difference.

How is the sales tax regressive when there is a fixed percentage? Like the more I spent the less I pay in sales tax? I don't think so.

It is regressive when you consider the position of the buyer. People need to buy large items, and low income people are disproportionately hurt by taxes on those items.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#367

Post by jhanschoo »

nangz wrote: post #334
whatshisface wrote: post #6

If I was China, I would love for the US and the UK to take the law-aware and dissident people off my hands.

Talking to a Chinese friend who is quite pro-CCP, they are pissed that UK is offering this and say that mass emigration of HKers would be a major loss of face for the CCP.

Conversely, if the HK people felt that they could prosper under CCP rule, they wouldn't bother considering emigration at all.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#368

Post by vanekjar »

raydev wrote: post #366
vanekjar wrote: post #365

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is the sales tax regressive when there is a fixed percentage? Like the more I spent the less I pay in sales tax? I don't think so.

It is regressive when you consider the position of the buyer. People need to buy large items, and low income people are disproportionately hurt by taxes on those items.

That doesn't mean it's regressive. It's just a demagogy.

Low income people buy less things and pay lower sales tax proportionally. Wealthy people spend more on luxurious goods and pay way higher tax in absolute numbers. Everyone is hurt the same.

On top of that, necessities (food, medication, books) are usually exempt from the sales tax.

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#369

Post by throwaway1997 »

free_rms wrote: post #251
skissane wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t see how handing HK over to ROC would have been “pro-colonialist”.

Presuming to control HKs fate after taking it in the freaking opium wars is. Giving HK back to China is an act of decolonization. Putting them under Taiwan and loading up the island with US weapons would not be.

Do you think we are happier now that we have been "handed back to the motherland" or is China happy? Why does the opinion and desires of Hong Kong citizens not mater in your mind?

Re: Hong Kong: UK makes citizenship offer to residents

#370

Post by throwaway1997 »

mytailorisrich wrote: post #221
throwaway1997 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will disproportionately take away the more wealthy and better educated. The majority of HKers live in public housing, pay no tax and are unlikely to have the means to live in the UK since there will be no recourse to public funds. This level of brain drain, as in the other mass migration events away from HK, could trigger the government to loosen their grip.

There is no risk of a brain drain. There are plenty of well educated mainlanders who will be happy to take jobs in HK.

There are but then HK won't be HK anymore and the thing that attracts mainlanders to HK won't be there anymore.
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