Hong Kong’s government has dropped a controversial plan to charge private vehicles a HK$200 (US$26) ‘boundary facility fee’ each time they depart for mainland China, less than two months before the levy was due to take effect. Treasury chief Christopher Hui told legislators on 30 January that the administration had ‘heard the community’s concerns’ and would shelve the measure for the time being—the second policy reversal announced that day.
The fee had been introduced in the 2025-26 budget to help plug an HK$87 billion deficit and to finance maintenance at border control points such as the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and Shenzhen Bay Port. However, chambers of commerce, cross-border logistics firms and tourism operators warned that it would add costs and paperwork just as travel volumes were recovering to pre-pandemic levels.
For Hong Kong residents who still need to secure the correct mainland travel permits, services like VisaHQ can make the process less daunting. Their China-focused team (https://www.visahq.com/china/) helps drivers and business travelers obtain visas, Closed Road Permits, and other documentation, ensuring that cross-border journeys remain smooth even as policies and fees evolve.
![Hong Kong Scraps Proposed HK$200 Cross-Border Car Levy to Mainland]()
According to Transport Department data, about 14,000 Hong Kong-registered private cars crossed land boundaries with Guangdong each day in Q4 2025.
Business executives feared the levy would deter ad-hoc trips to factories and client meetings in the Greater Bay Area, where tighter slot-booking rules for the Closed Road Permit scheme already cap the number of Hong Kong vehicles allowed on mainland roads. Travel-management company CWT estimated the fee would have added roughly HK$8,000 a year for a sales manager making three round-trips per month.
By shelving the charge, officials hope to maintain momentum in cross-border integration initiatives such as the Qianhai Cooperation Zone and the Nansha free-trade area, which rely on frictionless mobility of talent and investors. Yet the fiscal gap remains; economists expect alternative revenue measures—possibly higher road tolls or a tourism tax—to surface in the 2026-27 budget. For now, cross-border motorists can breathe a sigh of relief, but the debate underscores how transport levies can quickly become political flashpoints in a city striving to balance public finances with competitiveness.
The fee had been introduced in the 2025-26 budget to help plug an HK$87 billion deficit and to finance maintenance at border control points such as the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and Shenzhen Bay Port. However, chambers of commerce, cross-border logistics firms and tourism operators warned that it would add costs and paperwork just as travel volumes were recovering to pre-pandemic levels.
For Hong Kong residents who still need to secure the correct mainland travel permits, services like VisaHQ can make the process less daunting. Their China-focused team (https://www.visahq.com/china/) helps drivers and business travelers obtain visas, Closed Road Permits, and other documentation, ensuring that cross-border journeys remain smooth even as policies and fees evolve.
According to Transport Department data, about 14,000 Hong Kong-registered private cars crossed land boundaries with Guangdong each day in Q4 2025.
Business executives feared the levy would deter ad-hoc trips to factories and client meetings in the Greater Bay Area, where tighter slot-booking rules for the Closed Road Permit scheme already cap the number of Hong Kong vehicles allowed on mainland roads. Travel-management company CWT estimated the fee would have added roughly HK$8,000 a year for a sales manager making three round-trips per month.
By shelving the charge, officials hope to maintain momentum in cross-border integration initiatives such as the Qianhai Cooperation Zone and the Nansha free-trade area, which rely on frictionless mobility of talent and investors. Yet the fiscal gap remains; economists expect alternative revenue measures—possibly higher road tolls or a tourism tax—to surface in the 2026-27 budget. For now, cross-border motorists can breathe a sigh of relief, but the debate underscores how transport levies can quickly become political flashpoints in a city striving to balance public finances with competitiveness.
