Illegal parking in Hong Kong? A fine way to make HK$1.27 billion in 12 months, as authorities expect mega haul in year ahead
- City aims to rake in amount equivalent to issuing about 10,800 parking tickets every day, according to latest budget
- Authorities also collected HK$750 million for Covid-19 rule breaches last year, but predict amount to drop with eased restrictions
Hong Kong expects to collect HK$1.27 billion (US$161.8 million) in illegal parking fines in the coming financial year, according to the latest budget, translating into law enforcement issuing about 10,800 tickets every day.
Figures released in Wednesday’s spending blueprint also revealed the government collected HK$750 million for breaches of Covid-19 rules and other financial regulations in 2022-23, but the amount was expected to drop by 40 per cent in the coming financial year given the relaxation of pandemic rules.
According to the budget, revenue from illegal parking fines has been increasing in recent years, except for 2019 when the total dropped by about 30 per cent as police focused their manpower on the anti-government protests.
The government collected HK$983 million in the 2020-21 financial year, HK$1.05 billion in the following one and HK$1.16 billion in the latest year.
But to hit the HK$1.27 billion predicted for 2023-24, officers will need to hand out 3,942,000 of the HK$320 fixed-penalty tickets over the 12 months, or about 10,800 tickets a day.
