The Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) offsetting mechanism will be cancelled on 1 May 2025

By then, Hong Kong employers can no longer offset severance and long service payments owed to employees against MPF benefits derived from employers' contributions. The Hong Kong government decided in July 2023 not to implement the "Specialized Savings Account Scheme" proposed in 2018 which would require employers to create dedicated savings accounts and make 1% contributions to prepare for the abolishment of such MPF offsetting arrangement. 

强制性公积金（强积金）对冲安排将于 2025 年 5 月 1 日取消

届时，香港雇主将不能再以雇主供款所得的强积金利益抵销需向雇员支付的遣散费 和长期服务金。香港政府于 2023 年 7 月决定不实施 2018 年提出的“专项储蓄户 口计划”，该计划要求雇主设立专门的储蓄户口并缴纳 1%的供款，为取消该强积 金对冲安排做好准备。

行政成本过高

经估算，于专项储蓄户口计划运行初期，每年行政成本约 1.5 亿港元，30 年后将增至 6 亿港 元。成本高昂的原因是繁重的行政工作，包括：

(1) 规管及确保现时 30 多万名需为强积金强制供款的雇主成功开立储蓄户口；

(2) 每月收取供款；

(3) 核实及审批提款申请；及

(4) 处理未能预见的情况。

此外，预计该计划的程序将极其复杂，因 此无法避免外判服务机构处理该计划日常 运作的成本。

最后，雇主还需承担遵守该计划的相关行 政职责。 

破产欠薪保障基金

• Introduction
• Background

Introduction

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice’s decision in Carillion Canada Inc. clarifies how the principles in Montréal (City) v. Deloitte Restructuring Inc. (Montréal) should be applied to contingent obligations that are only quantified after the debtor company files for creditor protection.

In the receivership proceedings of Distinct Infrastructure Group Inc.

On July 13, 2022, the Court of Appeal for Ontario allowed an appeal from the Order of a bankruptcy judge in Sirius Concrete Inc. (Re), 2022 ONCA 524 (Sirius), which ruled that certain funds paid by a trade creditor formed part of the bankrupt’s estate. The issue on appeal was whether a constructive trust should be imposed over certain funds due to a claim of unjust enrichment arising from alleged fraudulent misrepresentations made by the bankrupt on the eve of its bankruptcy filing.

What this means for the shareholders of a business facing insolvency

Overview

Au Québec, le droit de la consommation évolue régulièrement et la Loi sur la protection du consommateur (L.P.C.) continue de faire l’objet de plusieurs décisions des tribunaux chaque mois.

À l’occasion de la publication de ce nouveau bulletin de notre série en droit de la consommation, nous présentons les développements récents dans ce domaine sous l’angle des décisions des quelque 12 derniers mois de la Cour d’appel du Québec, qui apportent un éclairage sur des règles de la L.P.C.