政壇：睇社論學英文：利潤管制不廢 兩電加價不止

兩間電力公司宣布明年加價，中電加幅百分之五點九，港燈則為百分之二點九。公用事業加價，必定引起連鎖效應，帶動百業把新增成本轉嫁給消費者，市民尚要應付家庭電費開支上升，等於承受雙重加價，生活百上加斤。

繼去年賺大錢之後，兩電今年上半年業績持續良好，中電盈利逾三十三億元，港燈更達四十三億多元，利潤豐厚仍然加價，完全是港府一手造成。兩電按利潤管制協議規定，最高利潤相等於平均固定資產淨值百分之九點九九，只要利潤未達上限，即可根據協議加價賺到盡，與港鐵的票價可加可減機制、私營隧道專營權的合理回報率，同是變相剝削市民利益，讓財團「奉旨」加價的政策傾斜條款。

利潤管制協議是上世紀港英政府的產物，原意是吸引電力公司持續投資發電設施。然而，高增長與高通脹年代過去，電力公司享有近一成的利潤管制上限已經不合時宜。目前距兩電利潤管制協議期屆滿仍有五年多，港府應及早研究開放市場，引入競爭，作為日後廢除兩電利潤管制協議的籌碼，才是一勞永逸解決電費無止境加價的上策。

If the Scheme of Control Agreement is not abolished, the two power companies will not stop increasing their tariffs

Hong Kong's two power companies, CLP and HK Electric, announced that they would increase their tariffs by 5.9% and 2.9% respectively next year. When public utilities raise their charges, a chain reaction is doomed to ensue and many industries will follow suit and then transfer their new costs onto consumers. Among the many increases the public has to face in paying for their daily necessities, the pressure of a heavier household electricity bill has an amplifying effect on their burden.

After a greatly lucrative year in 2011, the two power companies continued to perform well in the first half of this year. CLP had a profit of over $3.3 billion, whereas HK Electric's profit even exceeded $4.3 billion. It is entirely the Hong Kong Government's responsibility that the power companies are still raising their tariffs after making so much money. According to the two companies' Scheme of Control Agreement (SCA), their highest profit is set at 9.99% of their average net value of fixed asset. As long as the profit has not reached this ceiling, they can increase their tariffs in accordance with the SCA. Similar to the MTR's mechanism which allows fares to be adjusted both upwards and downwards, and the private cross-harbour tunnels' reasonable rate of return, the SCA is also a disguised exploitation of the public. With such lopsided terms in the mechanisms and the SCA, conglomerates are "authorised" to increase their charges.

The SCA is a legacy left by the British colonial administration of Hong Kong. Its original intention was to lure power companies into constant investments in their power-generation facilities. However, the era of high growth and high inflation is gone. It is untimely that the power companies are still allowed to enjoy a profit control ceiling of almost 10%. There are 5 more years before the two power companies' SCA expires. The Government should promptly begin to investigate the possibility of opening up the market and introducing competition. To solve the endless tariff-hike problem once and for all, the Government should use market liberalisation as leverage to abolish the SCA.

重要生字

transfer the cost onto consumers 把成本轉嫁給消費者

disguised exploitation 變相剝削

lopsided term 傾斜條款