In 2004-05, 29 departmental grades officers were promoted. 12 officers were transferred to the Department and 191 officers (including 127 officers retired under the Second Voluntary Retirement Scheme) left the Department.

Training and Development

In addition to classroom training, the Department also encourages staff to embrace the new mode of learning through Internet/Intranet. The management, aiming to provide a better service and learning solution to the changing needs of the staff, supports the initiative to promote the culture of continuous self-learning among our colleagues and provide effective facilities to enable them to do so by means of e-learning. Training materials and information were uploaded onto our Intranet for officers to study at their own time and pace. This provides an effective way for the staff to acquire new knowledge and review what they have learnt.

11 in-house Continuing Professional Education (CPE) seminars were held during the year which were attended by 1,664 participants.

The topics of the seminars included:

Video sessions were arranged for those who could not attend the seminars.

The Department also encourages and sponsors officers to attend seminars organised by academic and professional institutes. During 2004-05, 114 officers were sponsored by the Department to attend such seminars.

The Department continues to put emphasis on the international dimension of our tax administration to enable our professional officers to have necessary knowledge to deal with the increasing number of new global issues.

During 2004-05, 17 professional officers attended overseas courses in Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America. In addition, 1 professional officer and 1 Official Languages Officer attended a course at Tsinghua University in Beijing and Beijing Normal University respectively, and 1 officer went on familiarisation visit to Shenyang and Dalian.

In October 2004, 2 professional officers attended a 2-week training programme in Yangzhou. This was a joint training programme organised by the Study Group on Asian Tax Administration and Research (SGATAR) and the main theme was "Computer Audit". The Department also sent 2 professional officers to the programme to act as the resource persons.

The Committee is chaired by the Deputy Commissioner (Operations) and comprises representatives from all staff unions/associations and staff groups in the Department. In addition to making contacts and distributing correspondence for sharing of views on ad hoc issues, the Committee holds its meetings regularly where staff and management exchange their views on a wide range of topics of mutual concern. Staff representatives are free to raise their subjects for discussion and management is open and ready to share its views on different major issues including recruitment, promotion, career posting, training, working environment, staff welfare and service-wide matters. The Committee is a formal effective forum to enhance the mutual communication and thus better understanding and co-operation between the staff and management.

The Programme was launched in 1996-97 to further enhance the communication between the staff and management and to supplement the formal consultative channel. The senior management of each Unit meets with the staff of different groups in a less formal atmosphere and shares views with them on subjects which are either related to the daily operation and working environment, or related to service-wide issues.

The departmental newsletter is published quarterly to serve as another communication channel between the staff and management. It disseminates both service-related matters and recreational activities through articles and contributions offered by staff and unit managements. It also serves as a quarterly round-up of the recreational activities organised by the Department's Sports Association.

The Inland Revenue General Staff Welfare Fund (IRGSWF)

The Inland Revenue General Staff Welfare Fund was established voluntarily by a group of staff in 1972. It operates on funds donated by staff on a voluntary basis. With the endorsement of the Claims Sub-committee, which is formed to consider applications for financial assistance, small amounts of interest-free loans and grants can be provided as a quick source of relief to help staff with unexpected financial difficulties. It also subsidises the purchase of consolation gifts to hospitalised staff.

Commendation Letter Scheme

In 2004-05, 53 officers who had provided outstanding service for a reasonably long period of time were awarded the Commissioner's Commendation Letter in recognition of their exemplary performance in the Civil Service. The presentation ceremony was held in March 2005.

SCS's Commendation Award 2004

The Long and Meritorious Service Travel Award Scheme

In 2004-05, 36 officers with long and meritorious service were granted awards of overseas travel, together with their spouses outside Hong Kong, under the Long and Meritorious Service Travel Award Scheme.

The IRD Sports Association

The IRD Sports Association continued to play an important role in developing the human resources of the Department. The Association strived to promote the intellectual, social and athletic interests of our colleagues. Through active participation in activities organised by the Association, our staff members strengthened their cohesiveness and sense of belonging.

The membership number of the Association kept on increasing. As at 31 March 2005, a total of 2,089 colleagues, i.e. more than 70% of IRD staff, have joined the Association as members. Starting from last year, retired staff may join the Association as ordinary members so that they can continue to support, participate and assist in organising the Association's activities.