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本周，信用报道团队发现了一个令人兴奋的消息：政府计划削减酒精税以刺激香港夜生活的发展。这则消息是由我们的同事在周三公开的。预计，当市长李家超在今年十月中旬发布年度施政报告时，会正式宣布这一决定。对于香港酒吧业来说，这是一个重大的转折点。由于疫情的影响，这里的酒吧业一直处于低迷状态，并对烈酒征收高达100%的关税，这个税率在全球是最高的之一。然而，在2008年实施降税政策后，葡萄酒行业看到了复苏的曙光。现在，Lan Kwai Fong酒吧区的朋友们将会乐于听到这一好消息。
尽管削减税收将为酒吧带来帮助，但你可能并不会立即看到账单上的巨大变化。这是因为主要的成本在于房租、人工、原材料以及运营支出，并非酒水本身。根据香港酒业协会主席Henry Ho的说法，这个组织一直在呼吁减税。因此，如果政府将税率从100%降至30%，一些酒吧经营者大约只能节省HK$10,000到HK$20,000每个月的开销。Ho先生还提到，在这次降税政策中，真正的受益者可能更多是酒类零售商，而非酒吧。
此外，还有其他的因素需要考虑。香港本地的进口商在过去几年里因为经济低迷而饱受打击，他们更倾向于保留税收优惠而不是将其传递给酒吧或餐厅。长期在酒类行业工作的一位资深人士表示。
至于夜生活对于整个香港经济的影响，它是否能带来实质性的改变呢？无论结果如何，这都是近期围绕着香港发出的积极信息之一。
然而，在过去一个月里，香港金融中心的地位在全球排名中得到了恢复。还有其他好消息传来：著名歌手宣布将于四月份在香港举办演唱会；另外一位大陆艺人也刚刚抵港。
我们注意到一项富有的香港家族正在面临重大的权力转移。正如我们的独家报道所示，曾被认为是新世界地产和周大福帝国继承人的Adrian Cheng突然辞去了集团旗舰上市发展部门的CEO职位。这对于这位家族中的后起之秀来说是一次令人震惊的挫折——他一直是集团老父程汝韬的最爱，并被认为有望接管涉及房地产、珠宝及物流等业务广泛领域的企业。
在餐饮业方面，一个值得关注的新动向是日本新兴名厨Yoshinaga Jinbo最近在Central开设了一家新餐厅。这家餐厅为意大利料理带来了全新的创意风格。我们的一位食客朋友最近与我在这家名为Citrino的餐厅尝试了他们的午餐服务，并且对食物质量给予了高度评价。
Citrino是一家位于18 On Lan Street的二层新餐厅，拥有几个米其林星级餐厅作为邻居。餐厅在周二休息，营业时间从中午至晚上十点，提供的是四道菜的套餐和一些特色菜单供选择。我们这次尝试了包括海鲜酱意面、海胆刺身和Kristal鱼子酱在内的冷盘，以及柠檬脆饼和薄荷冰淇淋甜品。
总体来说，餐厅内部装饰有上世纪五十年代复古意大利风设计，并在墙上悬挂了日本艺术家 Yayoi Kusama的点点南瓜艺术作品作为点缀。我们的座位安排在一个面向窗户的小两座桌子旁。餐厅在中午刚开始营业时只有我们一组客人，不过一小时后就逐渐热闹起来。大多数顾客着装正式，符合Central商务区的通常情况。
对于在这里举办小型会议而言，虽然空间紧凑但各桌之间距离足够让对话保持私密性。当全部座位被满员时，这里的声音可能会变得嘈杂，所以如果你希望在相对安静的环境中讨论，则建议提前预定用餐时间。餐厅还提供一个可容纳12人的私人包厢。
我们最喜爱的是冷盘中那款海鲜酱意面：混合了香甜多汁的番茄、海胆和Kristal鱼子酱。这款冷餐将食材的新鲜度与地中海风味巧妙结合，搭配完美，口感恰到好处地清凉而柔滑。柠檬脆饼及薄荷冰淇淋的甜品则是满足口腹之欲后的清新选择。
最后，需要提到的是Citrino的部分特色菜品可能仅以单点形式提供，如时令有机蔬菜烟熏Bagna Cauda、西西里红虾意大利面、藏红花泡沫意粉以及野生多佛石斑鱼配核桃黄油。这家餐厅在18 On Lan Street共享建筑内还与其他几家米其林星级餐厅相邻，包括Zest by Konishi和Arcane。
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新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：Hong Kong's Plan to Cut Liquor Tax May Not Result in Cheaper Drinks at Bars
新闻日期：2024-09-26
原文摘要：
Welcome to Hong Kong Edition. Subscribe if you like this free newsletter. Or us with any feedback. This week, credit reporter examines how much cheaper a weekend of partying could be after the government cuts taxes on hard liquor. She also checks out Citrino, a new Japanese-Italian restaurant in Central. Partygoers rejoice: Hong Kong is planning on duties for hard liquor soon to revive the nightlife here.This bombshell comes courtesy of my colleague , who broke the news on Wednesday. Expect the official announcement to come when John Lee, the city’s leader, delivers his annual policy address in mid-October.Bars have been among the in the city since Covid, and Hong Kong has long slapped hard liquor with a levy of 100%, which is among the highest in the world. Cutting taxes in 2008 did wonders for wine here, so will this be a godsend for the Lan Kwai Fong bar district? It should help, but before you get your hopes up too high about lowering your Friday night bills, consider this sobering factoid: Gin prices are hardly the main reason why your negroni costs HK$140 ($18). The biggest cost by far is rent, according to Henry Ho, president of the local wine and spirits association, which has been calling for the tax cuts. Then there are labor costs, other ingredients and overhead. Even if the government slashes the tax to 30%, some bar owners will probably only save around HK$10,000 to HK$20,000 a month, and it remains to be seen how much of it would trickle down to bargoers, Ho told me. One top bartender said that booze usually only accounts for 15% to 30% of a cocktail’s price, and that he suspected this will benefit alcohol retailers more than bars themselves. Also, given how much importers in Hong Kong have suffered over the last few years due to the weak economy, vendors are more likely to pocket the tax savings than cut prices for bars or restaurants, another longtime veteran in the liquor space here told me. And then there’s the broader point of whether bars or liquor stores would make a notable impact to Hong Kong’s overall fortunes. Either way, it’s one of several much needed, positive vibes emerging around Hong Kong recently. The city regained its in a survey of global financial centers. announced it will perform in Hong Kong in April, and just arrived from the mainland. Big succession drama is unfolding at one of Hong Kong’s wealthiest dynasties. As flagged by and Shirley Zhao in their huge scoop yesterday, Adrian Cheng — once the heir apparent to the New World and Chow Tai Fook business empire — resigned as CEO of the group’s flagship listed developer unit.It’s a remarkable fall from grace for the scion — long regarded as late patriarch Cheng Yu-Tung’s favorite grandson to assume control of a conglomerate whose businesses span from property to jewelry and logistics. A Harvard graduate with a stint at Goldman Sachs, Adrian helped transform the traditional property company into a brand with artsy apartment blocks and ambitious projects by accumulating heavy debt.Elsewhere:Up-and-coming Japanese chef Yoshinaga Jinbo recently opened a new restaurant in Central, offering quite an interesting spin to Italian cuisine.I’d been meaning to try , which is partly owned by a UBS banker, since it opened in June, and finally got around to it on a recent Wednesday with a foodie source.The chef, who also runs in Tokyo, has plenty of culinary firepower in the kitchen — his sous chef is from , the Michelin-starred green restaurant that we reviewed last week. Citrino, Italian for the yellow citrine gemstone, prides itself for offering beautifully presented Italian dishes with fresh ingredients from Japan, Italy and locally.But it’s not cheap. Our bill came to HK$2,594 for the two of us for the four-course set lunch, which starts at HK$880 a head, but we couldn’t resist the add-ons and coffee. That’s comparable to what one would pay at three-Michelin-starred !The vibe: The earth-toned motif is 1950s retro Italian, but sculpted renderings of Yayoi Kusama's famed polka-dotted pumpkins on the wall provide a distinct Japanese touch. We were seated at a small table for two next to the window.Who’s next to you: When we arrived just around noon, we were the only customers, but it got more lively within the hour. Patrons were generally dressed in business attire — the usual Central business crowd. Can you conduct a meeting here? Though the space is intimate, there's still enough room between tables for private conversations. It did get a bit loud when all the tables were full, so I'd recommend going early if you prefer tranquility. They also offer a private room that fits 12 people.What we’d order again: The pasta alla checca with sea urchin and kristal caviar (extra HK$198) was my favorite. It's a cold dish that blends fragrant, juicy tomatoes with seafood flavors. The chilled texture of the pasta was paired perfectly with the silkiness of the uni.The lemon cannoli with mints trio gelato, which my source highly recommended, didn’t disappoint. The dessert provided a welcome refreshment for the palate after heavy Iberico pork.Need to know: Some of the restaurant’s signature dishes, including the seasonal organic vegetable smoke bagna cauda, Sicilian red prawns linguine, saffron foam risotto, and the wild-caught dover sole in hazelnut butter, were only available a la carte.Citrino is located on the second floor of 18 On Lan Street in a building that's home to a few Michelin-starred places such as Zest by Konishi and Arcane. It is closed on Mondays and open from noon to 10 p.m. the rest of the week. 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