Pro-Establishment Bloc Seeks Meeting with John Tsang: Four Budget Grievances

Public anger over the budget keeps rising. DAB’s Tam Yiu-chung revealed that after deliberation, 30-plus pro-establishment lawmakers plan to meet Financial Secretary John Tsang before next Wednesday to relay public discontent face to face. The four biggest flashpoints: the MPF account injection, no tax rebate, higher first-registration tax on cars, and nothing for the “N-nothings”.

The four grievances

Will they vote it down?

Tam dodged the question of whether the bloc would vote against the budget if Tsang ignores their demands, saying only that vetoing a budget is momentous and needs careful thought.

That the pro-establishment camp feels compelled to confront its own government’s finance chief shows anger has reached a level even allies can’t stomach. How the budget saga ends — and how Tsang responds — the whole city is watching.