SALARIES TAX

ALLOWANCES                        1996/97         1995/96

Basic                              90,000          79,000

Married                           180,000         158,000

Child:          
First to Second Child              24,500 each     22,000 each
Third to Ninth Child               12,500 each     11,000 each

Dependent Parent/Grandparent:          
Basic                              24,500          22,000
Additional (for dependent           7,000           6,000
living with taxpayer)

Single Parent                      45,000          40,000

Disabled Dependent                 15,000          11,000

Dependent Brother/Sister:          
Basic                              24,500               -

Additional (where dependent        15,000               -
is disabled)

Additional Deduction: Training     12,000               -

The progressive tax bands remain unchanged and are summarised as follows:

                                  1996/97 and 1995/96

     0 - 20,000                            2%
20,001 - 50,000                            9%
50,001 - 80,000                           17%
80,000 or above                           20%

The standard salaries tax rate is 15%.

PROFITS TAX

                                 1996/97 and 1995/96

Corporations                            16.5%
Persons other than Corporations           15%

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

For further information contact Yvonne Chan on tel: +852 2852 0315, fax: +852 2541 2936, or e-mail directly to Yvonne.S.Chan@arthurandersen.com or enter a text search 'Arthur Andersen' and 'Business Monitor'.