On October 23, the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region voted to pass the bill to reinstate the 3% hotel room tax effective from January 1st next year. Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stated that reinstating the hotel room tax is part of the government's financial consolidation plan. It is estimated that around 320 hotels and 180 guesthouses in Hong Kong will be required to pay the hotel room tax, involving approximately 92,000 rooms. This measure is expected to generate an additional income of 1.1 billion Hong Kong dollars annually for the government. As the room tax accounts for a small portion of the total consumer spending by tourists in Hong Kong, it will not affect their willingness to visit Hong Kong. (CCTV News)