ACMS, you are correct about expats BUT a large number of our newer LEP's are in reality expats.
They have access to a HKID card but have lived their entire lives (bar the first few months in most cases) in Australia or Canada.
Where do they fit into the picture then? If they take a base they get no allowances. If they stay in HKG they get no allowances. Hardly fair I would say.
Just because CX paid for their training shouldn't mean that they get no allowances for the next 40 years of their careers.
Oh, and by the way, I am not a local.
W2