Implementation of suspension of Employees Retraining Levy to be advanced
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    The implementation of the proposal to suspend the collection of the Employees Retraining Levy for a period of two years will be advanced from September 1, 2008, to August 1, 2008, subject to the approval of the Executive Council.

    This was announced by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, this (July 21) afternoon following discussion with the Immigration Department.

    "The advancement of the implementation date will benefit more than 16,000 employers of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) as August is the peak period for new application and contract renewal," Mr Cheung said.

    "It is important to note that the suspension will apply to all cases where the visa for the FDH is granted by the Immigration Department between August 1, 2008, and July 31, 2010, including renewal of existing contracts and signing of new contracts, instead of the date on which the visa application is submitted," he added.

    Mr Cheung called on employers who could not benefit immediately from the measure not to terminate the contracts of their FDHs prematurely as they would still be able to enjoy the levy suspension for a period of two years when they are granted the visa for the renewal of the contracts or hiring of a new FDH during the suspension period.

    Amendment to a Schedule to the Employees Retraining Ordinance is required to implement the suspension of the collection of the levy. Implementation details will be announced as soon as possible after approval from ExCo is sought.

Ends/Monday, July 21, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:08

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