原文标题：Tesla to reduce Hong Kong operations if city refuses to promote elec
tric cars
来源：南华早报
连结：https://goo.gl/EL4Arv
大意：
有消息指 Tesla 最近去信特首林郑月娥，要求港府撤回自去年起，取消电动车豁免首次
登记税的决定，否则 Tesla 将会缩小在港业务规模。
财政司司长陈茂波于去年 2 月在财政预算案中提出，将有关电动车的税项豁免延长一年
，其中只有电动私家车设有限制，豁免上限为 97,500元。陈茂波当时指出，有关措施是
为减少中产人士购买豪华电动车的诱因。而电动商用车及电自行车等则继续豁免全数首次登
记税。
然而，这个决定使购买电动私家车的成本大幅增加。据有关消息指，Tesla认为若今年财
政预算案中，仍没有就上述政策作出改变，将会收缩在香港的业务规模。
消息亦指出，去年政府取消相关豁免的其中一个原因，是其他大型车厂向他就Tesla增长
太快而进行游说。政府发言人回应表示，港府正就电动车的税项豁免进行检讨，将会考虑
科技发展、市场状况及业界意见，预计于月底完成。
原文内文：
Source says Elon Musk-led firm asked Carrie Lam to rethink last year’s decisi
on to slash tax break for electric car buyers, which stalled Tesla sales and c
aused overall demand for battery-powered cars to crash
US electric car maker Tesla is 计repared to reduce its Hong Kong operations if
the government fails to give residents incentives to buy battery-powered cars
in its 赴pcoming budget, a source close to the company told the Post.
The source said Tesla, led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, had written
to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor asking her to rethink last year
’s 讣emoval of a full registration tax waiver on electric cars for private us
e. The move resulted in buyers paying as much as 80 per cent more for high-end
models.
With the tax waiver capped at HK$97,500 from April 1 last year, sales of elect
ric cars nosedived. Only 99 new cars were registered from April to December la
st year, compared with 2,078 in the same period the year before.
Sales at Tesla, which employs 200 people in the city, were hit hardest. It sol
d 32 cars from April to December, although 2,939 cars were snapped up in March
, as buyers rushed to its showrooms after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po
’s announcement that the waiver was ending in last year’s budget.
An average of 230 Teslas were sold each month from April 2016 to February 2017
, mostly of the Model S, the top-selling sedan in the city in 2015. To the exc
itement of consumers, the car also featured on ride-sharing app Uber.
How the electric car became the future of transportation
“Scaling down Tesla’s operation in Hong Kong is a natural and logical conseq
uence if the number of customers has dwindled prompted by a reduction of gover
nment incentives,” the source said. “Without government support, who is 趴il
ling to invest in green technology?”
Asked for its comments, Tesla told the Post on Sunday: “Our launch in Hong Ko
ng in 2010 was one of Tesla’s earliest, and we remain committed to our custom
ers here, affirming that commitment with the opening of our second Service Cen
tre last year.
“We remain hopeful that the government will continue to encourage more electr
ic vehicles on the road and preserve Hong Kong’s lead in clean, sustainable l
iving.”
Separately, a source in the car industry said big manufacturers had urged Chan
to remove the full tax waiver for electric cars because they were threatened
by their rapid growth in the city, especially of Tesla, which dominated about
90 per cent of the market. BMW, Nissan, Volkswagen and Renault also sell elect
ric cars in the city.
“The sale of Tesla cars in one month was equal to the annual sales figure of
some petrol car brands,” the source said. “They all complained that the rapi
d growth of Tesla these few years had made their lives really difficult.”
It is understood that Chan, who chairs a steering committee on the promotion o
f electric 赳ehicles (EVs), did not consult EV makers before his budget announ
cement, in which he also said the full registration tax waiver for other kinds
of EVs – such as goods vehicles, buses and motorcycles – would remain.
A government spokesman said that in deciding on tax 苞oncessions for EVs last
year, the government had considered the narrowing price difference 苑etween el
ectric cars and fuel engine models, and “its public transport-oriented policy
”.
Electric car owners, as well as getting a tax break, “also enjoy lower annual
car licence fees and fuel costs”, the spokesman said.
Electric cars cost between HK$270,000 and HK$1.1 million before tax. A progres
sive tax is 苔pplied on motor vehicle registration, starting at 40 per cent of
the first HK$150,000 of the vehicle’s taxable value.
The spokesman added that the government was reviewing the tax concessions for
EVs ahead of the budget statement, which is expected to come at the end of the
month. It would factor in technological developments, the state of the market
and other feedback.
Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said
the chamber was “puzzled” by the policy change.
“Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said she wants to attract leading global tech
firms to Hong Kong, but green technology companies, like all companies, requi
re policy transparency and assurance,” she said.
Wesley Wan Wai-hei, an EV committee member, said Chan was told that his tax in
itiative had contradicted efforts to promote the use of EVs, which were less p
olluting, and that he needed to rectify the situation.
“The steering committee advised him to offer a 50 per cent tax discount to th
ose who want to buy electric cars to replace their fuel cars if they prove the
y have 苓eregistered their old cars,” he said. “Of course, it’s up to Paul
Chan to decide whether to take the committee’s advice.”
心得：
没补助后销量雪崩式大跌，现在想要游说政府了喔！结局如何且让我们继续看下去吧！是
说，香港的特酸比台湾还多太多了，香港网民很爱说特斯拉是“马路炸弹”。