Request moved to top of agenda to ensure it passes before new financial year begins next month
OWEN.FUNG@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Thursday, 17 March, 2016, 4:25pm
Thirty-six lawmakers voted for the temporary funding request, and three against. Photo: Now TV
Lawmakers have passed the government’s request for HK$90.45 billion in provisional funding, which would cover public expenditure until this year’s budget is approved by the legislature.
Earlier on Thursday, lawmakers agreed to move the temporary funding request to the top of the meeting agenda ahead of other bills to ensure that it would be approved before April 1, when the new financial year begins.
Thirty-six lawmakers voted for the temporary funding request, and three against.
While pan-democratic lawmakers supported the move to re-prioritise the meeting agenda, they slammed the decision as coming too late, stressing that the administration should have done so when the legislature was debating the controversial copyright amendment bill.
On Wednesday, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah warned that there could be grave consequences if the temporary funding request was not passed before April and called on lawmakers to give it passage as soon as possible.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1926395/show-can-go-hong-kong-lawmakers-approve-hk9045-billion
