Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Frederick Ma says the Government will not shorten the consultation period on tax reform even if the Legislative Council passes the motion on opposing the introduction of a goods and services tax on Wednesday.

Speaking after a radio talk show today, Mr Ma urged lawmakers and the public to adopt an open attitude when discussing the issue.

"We feel that the goods and services tax is the best way to broaden our tax base. This is a very important subject for Hong Kong to discuss and we should allow a lot of time, until the end of March next year, to discuss this important issue," he said.