Using Opium as a Public Revenue Source - Not as Easy as it Looks: The British Hong Kong Experience
British Tax Review, Vol. 2, pp. 226, 2012
University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2012/035
27 Pages Posted: 22 Oct 2012 Last revised: 12 Dec 2012
Date Written: October 22, 2012
Abstract
This article summarizes the reasons the colonial government in Hong Kong decided to make the internal retail trade in opium a major source of revenue. It also: explains the operation and enforcement of this revenue system; evaluates the fiscal performance of this revenue system; and considers its contemporary and lasting impact on the development of Hong Kong. The primary research focus is on the first 50 years of the operation of the system for it took almost this long for the revenue raising performance of the system finally to match the original, fund-raising expectations.
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