Ex-gratia payments to all licensees of Lunar New Year fairs and Fong Ma Po New Year fair granted
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The Government announced on January 14 its decision to cancel the 2022 LNY fairs at 15 locations and the Fong Ma Po New Year Fair at Lam Tsuen in Tai Po in view of the developments of the COVID-19 epidemic. Apart from arranging full refunds of the stall licence fees for successful stall bidders in accordance with the licence agreement, the FEHD would also grant them ex-gratia payments pitched at 50 per cent of the stall licence fees under the fifth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund. All payments have been mailed to the affected licensees in crossed cheques without the need for any application.
All 950 stalls at the 15 LNY fairs and the Fong Ma Po New Year Fair at Lam Tsuen in Tai Po were let out last year through open auction. Based on the total auction amount of around $12.06 million, the ex-gratia payments disbursed amounted to over $6.03 million.
As for the 2022 Che Kung Festival Fair, which was announced to be cancelled last Friday (January 21), the spokesman said the FEHD will aim at arranging full refunds of the stall licence fees and disbursing the ex-gratia payments, pitched at 50 per cent of the stall licence fees, amounting to over $590,000 for the 42 successful stall bidders under the same mechanism within this week.
Ends/Monday, January 24, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:40
Issued at HKT 16:40
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