The government’s receipts from gross gaming revenue taxes in the first eight months fell by 70.2 percent year-on-year to 22.8 billion patacas (US$2.87 billion), the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) announced last week.
Gaming tax receipts accounted for 70.3 percent of the government’s total current revenue between January and August.
The government’s total revenue dropped by 14.7 percent to 74.9 billion patacas. While its total current revenue dropped 64.6 percent to 30.27 billion patacas, its total capital revenue rose by 1,797.3 percent from 2.35 billion patacas in the first eight months of last year to 44.65 billion patacas in the same period of this year.
In response to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy, the government has fallen back upon some of the financial reserves of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
The government total current expenditure in the first eight months increased by 20.2 percent to 50.85 billion patacas, while its total expenditure (including capital expenditure) rose by 11.7 percent to 55.45 billion patacas, resulting in a budget surplus of 19.47 billion patacas, a year-on-year decline of 49.1 percent.
