Anton Cooray

Professor Anton Cooray of City, University of London, was previously Professor and Associate Dean of Law, City University of Hong Kong and Head and Dean of Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He graduated in law in 1972 and obtained his h.D. in law from University of London in 1979. He was awarded a second Ph.D. by University of Colombo in 1989 for his work on the Sri Lankan Constitution. He has been a Commonwealth Scholar (1975-1979), a Commonwealth Academic Fellow (1986-1987) and a British Council Academic Visitor (1992) in the United Kingdom. He was visiting professor at University of Aix Marseille and University of Hawaii. He has published extensively especially in constitutional law, comparative law and planning law. He is the author of the titles 'Town Planning Law' and 'The Environment' in the series Halsbury's Laws of Hong Kong. He was responsible for the two reissues of the title 'Constitutional Law' in the same series (2006, 2010). He edits the Journal of International and Comparative Law (Sweet & Maxwell).

This monograph was first written in 2003 by Professor Cooray with contributions from his colleagues at City University of Hong Kong, Lin Feng, Harred Zafrullah, Anthony Lo and Michael Littlewood. Professor Cooray has now rewritten and updated the text of this monograph except the section on taxation, which continues to be contributed and updated by Professor Michael Littlewood: 'Part V' 'Special Problems', §2 'The Taxing and Spending Powers'. Michael Littlewood is a Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Auckland. He is a New Zealander but has spent many years in Hong Kong. He has degrees in law and politics from the University of Auckland and a doctorate in tax from the University of Hong Kong. He is admitted as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand, as a solicitor in England and Wales and as a solicitor in Hong Kong.