A. Public collections
Under section 4(17) of the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228), a person commits an offence if, without the required permit, he organizes, provides equipment for, or participates in any collection of money or sale or exchange for donations of badges, tokens or similar articles in a public place. The penalty is a fine of $2,000 and imprisonment for 3 months.
For charitable purposes, the permit must be issued by the Director of Social Welfare. For other purposes, the permit must be issued by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs.
The offence is not limited to charitable collections. It applies generally to collections of money in public places, including collections for political purposes.
There is no need to prove nuisance if the prohibited acts are established. Establishing that the prohibited acts occurred without a permit is sufficient.
A person may commit the offence by participating in an unauthorised collection of money alone. It is not necessary that there also be a sale of badges.
Read Whole Topics
Print
Email
