Hong Kong mulls cumulative fines to combat illegal shop extensions

The Environment and Ecology Bureau said on Friday that it may consider introducing a cumulative penalty system for illegal shop extensions, with a report to be submitted to Legco for discussion next month.

The government has earlier proposed doubling the fine for littering to HK$3,000 and raising penalties for illegal shop extensions and depositing construction waste unlawfully from HK$1,500 to HK$6,000. The government expects the fine increases to be implemented in the last four months of 2023.

Offences covered by the proposed HK$3,000 fine, which used to be HK$1,500, include littering and spitting in public places and country parks, fouling general areas with dog excrement, displaying posters and bills without permission and marine littering.

Those who unlawfully extend shopfronts and cause obstruction or illegally dump construction waste would also face a fixed fine of HK$6,000 under the new proposal, up from the current HK$1,500.

Speaking at the Legco this morning, a bureau spokesman said a majority of the feedback authorities received during a public consultation period was for imposing the higher penalties.

The spokesman said the new set of penalties will come into force three months after the government amended the laws, while authorities will step up its effort in public education on the new rules.

Liberal Party lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai slammed authorities for lacking proper guidelines in executing the new penalties.

He said authorities should spell out clearly the time interval for law enforcement officers to hand out new fixed penalties to repeated offenders, in order to avoid shops treating the one-time fixed penalties as paying “rent.”

Other lawmakers also voiced concerns that street sleepers and scavengers in Hong Kong may fall victim to the new rules.