Regarding the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)'s prosecution of an Assistant Taxation Officer today (October 14), the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) stressed that it attaches great importance to the honesty and conduct of its staff and does not tolerate any illegal or non-compliant acts.

     The IRD referred the case to the ICAC for investigation, and has fully co-operated with the ICAC in the investigation and provided full assistance.

     The Assistant Taxation Officer concerned has been interdicted from duty since September 2023. In view of the ongoing legal proceedings, the IRD will not comment on the specifics of the case.

     The IRD attaches utmost importance to the protection of taxpayers' information. All staff are bound by the official secrecy provisions of the Inland Revenue Ordinance and the Business Registration Ordinance. They are prohibited from communicating taxpayers' information to any person except in the performance of their duties. The IRD's internal guidelines also clearly set out how the staff should comply with the official secrecy provisions. A mechanism has been put in place to monitor whether the staff access taxpayers' information in the IRD's computer system only when performing duties, including keeping records of staff's access to the computer system and conducting surprise checks and reviews from time to time.

     To further enhance the protection of taxpayers' information and the handling of public enquiries, the IRD has conducted a thorough review of the relevant work procedures and invited the ICAC's Corruption Prevention Department to provide suggestions. The IRD is implementing the enhancement measures progressively, which include conducting random checks on staff's access to information in the computer system more frequently, reviewing staff's access right to the information in the computer system, arranging supervisory staff to conduct inspections at enquiry counters, and installing closed-circuit television systems at the enquiry counters concerned to enhance surveillance.

Ends/Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:15

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