Hong Kong accountants want Greater Bay Area-specific examination to tap SME demand
- Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu last month urged the accounting sector to suggest ways to help it further develop in the Greater Bay Area
- While Big Four firms have affiliates serving mainland clients, Hong Kong SMEs prefer to be served by smaller accounting firms, said Edmund Wong Chun-sek
Hong Kong accountants are calling for a new qualification examination specifically designed for accounting professionals in the city hoping to work in the Greater Bay Area, in hope of catering to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to develop in Guangdong.
At present, only a few hundred of the more than 46,000 accountants in Hong Kong have passed the national qualification examination allowing them to practise on the mainland, according to Edmund Wong Chun-sek, who represents the accountancy constituency in the city’s legislature.
06:19
High hopes for China’s Greater Bay Area, but integrating 11 cities will pose challenges
A separate examination focusing on accounting-related regulations and tax matters relevant to the Greater Bay Area could help give Hong Kong professionals a better chance in attaining the qualification needed to work there, he said.
“It would allow more Hong Kong accountants who want to serve the many SMEs in the Greater Bay Area to have a chance to practise in the region,” Wong said.
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu last month urged the accounting sector to express its views on how the government could help it further develop in the Greater Bay Area, as he held talks with Guangdong leaders to speed up the integration of Hong Kong with its mainland neighbours.
The Greater Bay Area is the result of a grand plan by Beijing to link up Hong Kong and Macau with nine southern mainland cities to tap the potential of its combined population of 86 million.
