Government proposes Competition Bill amendments

The Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development aims to push for the amendment to tackle SMEs’ concerns.

The Commerce & Economic Development Bureau Wednesday submitted its proposed amendments to the Competition Bill for discussion at the Legislative Council Bills Committee meeting on October 25.

Speaking to the media Wednesday, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Gregory So said the proposed amendments will be able to address the business concerns, in particular those of small and medium enterprises while maintaining the bill's integrity and effectiveness. according to a government report.

“The administration has carefully listened to the views of the Bills Committee, the business sector - in particular the SMEs, the District Councils, as well as the academic and professional bodies,” he said.

Mr So said they propose amendments in six areas, namely clarity of the provisions, de minimis arrangements, pecuniary penalty, infringement notice, stand-alone right of private action and cross-sector merger rules.

He will explain the proposed amendments in detail to the Bills Committee on October 25 and hopes the Bill's scrutiny can be accelerated after the administration’s responses.

“We hope the Bill will be enacted within the current legislative session. We are confident the Competition Law will be able to protect consumer interests and retain our competitive edge,” he said.