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Following is the transcript of the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at the Legislative Council question and answer session today (Thursday):

Mr David Li Kwok-po: Thank you, Madam President. Chief Executive, in line with the trend of cost reduction, would you advise this Council whether Government has any plan to lower charges of government services? I have particularly in mind rates, water charges, licence fees and airport departure tax.

Chief Executive: I think it is the wish of everybody that in these very difficult times we must do all we can, but we also need to consider the budget itself, that we already as you can see have a very huge deficit for 1998/1999 year. So it is a difficult issue and fortunately is a issue which I don't have to answer today and leave it to the Financial Secretary to answer in due course.

END/Thursday, January 14, 1999

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