Newspaper vendors petition against tobacco tax rise
Newspaper vendors on Thursday launched an industry-wide petition against another potential increase in tobacco tax, saying that would lead to a substantial drop in their income. Over 500 signatures have been collected so far.  The government proposed another hike last week as part of a raft of additional anti-smoking measures – after increasing the tax by 30 percent in February. "Why is the government proposing another increase in tobacco tax within a few months? When they increased it [in February], we lost half of our business revenue because cigarette sales make up two-thirds of our income," the convenor of the Coalition of Hong Kong Newspaper and Magazine Merchants, Li Wing-pak, said.    "Now, all newspaper vendors are very angry about this." Lam Cheung-fu, chairman of the Hong Kong Newspaper Vendors Association, said authorities need to do more to tackle the sale of illicit cigarettes. "I've spoken to the relevant departments in April about an illegal website that sold cigarettes for about HK$20 to HK$30, offering free samples and home delivery services. As of today, the website is still in operation," he said.  The representatives called on the government to consider their views carefully when formulating the relevant policies.