Subsidies and expenses for District Council election candidates will be increased starting from the mid-2015 polls.
The financial assistance scheme subsidy rate for candidates will be increased from $12 to $14 per vote, while the election expenses limit will be raised from $53,800 to $63,100.
The relevant pieces of subsidiary legislation will be gazetted on March 6 and tabled in the Legislative Council on March 18 for negative vetting.
The subsidy rate adjustment is based on the estimated cumulative inflation rate from 2012 to 2015 (i.e. 17.3%). The election expenses limit adjustment also took into account the estimated cumulative inflation rate over the same period, as well as the declared election expenses of contested candidates in recent District Council elections.
Members of the Legislative Council Panel on Constitutional Affairs were also consulted.
