Fines, penalties and forfeitures pump HK$2.1 billion into government coffers

Fines worth HK$2.1 billion (US$268.39 million) flowed into Hong Kong’s coffers in 2025‑26, nearly 26 per cent more than initially forecast, following an increase in cigarette penalties and a surge in forfeitures.According to budget estimates analysed by the South China Morning Post, the HK$2.1 billion income amounted to 0.3 per cent of the government’s total revenue.The funds were primarily from court fines and forfeiture orders, statute penalties, forfeitures from breaches of contracts and agreements with the government, fixed fines for traffic offences, illegal parking and idling engines, as well as civil servant payments for disciplinary issues.In response to an SCMP inquiry, a spokeswoman for the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau said the amount received under “forfeitures” varied over the years depending on the number and nature of the cases, and “there has been no fixed pattern”.The amount was 25.8 per cent or HK$442 million more than the original estimate of HK$1.7 billion, with the government attributing the surge to bigger fines and “higher-than-expected” revenue from forfeiture cases.Of the HK$2.1 billion, HK$762 million came from court fines and statutory penalties, which was HK$196 million more than the original estimate.