Taxes in HK, do I need to pay??

I work for a UK company that has no entity here in Hong Kong, I receive my salary via bank transfer from the UK.


Do I need to declare my position or can I just not pay taxes and go by my merry way??


Any advise appreciated.

What if I don't carry out any work in HK but just use it as a convenient place to hang out while I work in the region, travelling outside of HK to do so??


I am a permanent resident of HK, so no need for work permit.


Thanks, any help?

i believe you can simply do nothing and it works. consultants sometimes do that if they travel like 99% of their time


most countries do have a law that states that if you don't pay taxes anywhere, you have to pay with them. this is kind of a catch-all law in case someone doesnt pay taxes. however the resident country will never find out, especially if your visas are all good.


you might fall foul of the UK tax law though (under the same catch-all). i did what you are planning once when i was doing consulting and not residing in the country where my employment contract was based (not UK but another EU country). my only risk was that this country's IRS would do a check of company staff records/employment contracts and find me out. i was told they would do on average one such check every 10 years, so i thought it was worth the risk - especially as i was planning to quit the company 2 years later.


i dont know the possible penalties for UK or HK but you might want to check this out before taking the risk

I was in a similar situation a while back but I decided it would just be best to pay HK tax (I'm a UK citizen). The last thing I want is the UK Inland Revenure on my back. I think you need to pay tax for any work done in HK. Also, if you pay HK tax you can get mortgages and loans etc. The UK has some pretty nasty inheritance taxes so it's a feather in your cap with regards to domicile if you pay HK tax - though you can still be UK domiciled if you own a property there, have UK bank accounts, or your kids study there etc.

if you "normally reside" in hong kong for more than 6 months in a year you are required to pay taxes regardless of the source of that income if i am not mistaken.


why not ask the tax folks in wanchai? they are generally very very good, just ask the right questions.


also, you did not state if you are paying taxes in the uk, that also makes a difference...