Tai Po Civic Centre
Guidelines on Hire Charges Reduction Scheme

General Criteria for Hire Charges Reduction		
(1)	Applications for hire charges reduction should be limited to organizations hiring the Tai Po Civic Centre facilities only.
(2)	The applicant should either be
(a)	a bona-fide non-profit district organization, or
(b)	a non-profit organization
(i)	registered under the Societies Ordinance, or
(ii)	incorporated under the Companies Ordinance, or
(iii)	formed by Statute, or
(iv)	registered on the list of approved charitable institutions or trusts of a public character.
(3)	In the case of a registered non-profit organization, its constitution should specifically provide that members do not take any share of the profits or any share of the assets upon dissolution.
(4)	The hire charges reduction should be used for the purpose of a function that is open to the public (except for functions held in the Function Room as some of the functions may be restricted to members of an organization).
(5)	The hire charges reduction should be used for the purpose of a function that is in furtherance of educational, scientific, artistic, cultural, public health or social service purpose.
(6)	The applicant should be considered to be in genuine need of financial assistance. Should there be any surplus as shown in the statement of income and expenditure submitted by the applicant after the completion of the function, the applicant is required to refund to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department the full hire charges reduction amount or the aforesaid surplus, whichever is the less.
(7)	A hire charges reduction rate of 50%, 60%, 70% or 80% for Auditorium will be considered in accordance with the content, merits, financial sources and the organizational ability of the applicant. A flat hire charges reduction rate of 60% shall apply to bookings at Function Room during busy hours (i.e. Mondays to Fridays after 6:00pm; whole day of Saturdays and Sundays) and 80% during non-busy hours. If the estimated deficit of a function is less than the eligible hire charges reduction amount, the hire charges reduction will be equal to the deficit amount.
Application for Hire Charges Reduction		
(1)	Application for hire charges reduction can be submitted together with the initial booking of the venue facilities. A reply will be provided to the applicant within one month upon confirmation of the allocation of the venue facility and receipt of the hire charges reduction application with full supporting documents.
(2)	All applications must be completed in full and should be signed only by a responsible officer of the organization.
(3)	A proposed ticket price and a detailed breakdown of the estimated income and expenditure for the proposed function should be submitted for assessment purpose. A projection of the ticket income, based on 50% of the ticket sales, and a detailed breakdown of the direct expenses of the function should be included.
(4)	A statement of income and expenditure signed by the Chairman and Secretary/Treasurer of the organization must be submitted within one month after the function. The Leisure & Cultural Services Department reserves the right to scrutinize accounts and in the case of doubts, to request an audited statement. If the information provided by the applicant is found to be untrue or should any breach of the Terms & Conditions of the Hire be discovered, the Leisure & Cultural Services Department reserves the right to recover the full amount of hire charges reduction.

Enquiries: (852) 2665 4754