The Secretary for Home Affairs has voiced support for a proposal by the Hong Kong Taoist Association to designate a Sunday in March every year as Taoist Day. Tsang Tak-sing expressed his support on Saturday, during celebrations to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. If accepted by the Legislative Council, the proposed Taoist Day will add a sixth special day for religion to the calendar, but it would not be a public holiday. Hong Kong recognizes Easter and Christmas as public holidays. The Buddhist Association successfully fought for a public holiday in 1999, two years after Hong Kong’s handover. A proposal for a public holiday to commemorate Confucianism was rejected by the Legislative Council in 2010. The commercial sector in general does not support increasing the number of public holidays, which they claim raise costs.
