The Legislative Assembly (AL) has unanimously passed the outline of the government’s 2026 budget bill, which is expected to yield a surplus of 5.31 billion patacas (US$658.44 million). Anton Tai Kin Ip, the secretary for economy and finance, presented the figures during yesterday’s plenary session, Macau Post Daily reports.
Tai stated that the government anticipates revenues will total 118.8 billion patacas (US$14.7312 billion) against an expected expenditure of 113.48 billion patacas (US$14.07152 billion).
Following the outline’s passage, the bill will be sent to one of the legislature’s standing committees for an article-by-article scrutiny, before being resubmitted for a second and final debate and vote, which must conclude by the end of next month. The 2026 budget must be promulgated by the end of this year to take effect from 1 January.
[See more: Growth, diversification and welfare: Macao’s top economic official outlines 2026 agenda]
Tai commented on the steady growth of Macao’s economy, noting a continuous year-on-year increase in visitor arrivals so far this year. Official statistics show that Macao’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.2 per cent in real terms over the first three quarters of this year.
Despite expecting the city’s tourism and gaming sectors to maintain growth next year, the secretary highlighted persistent uncertainty in the external environment. Consequently, the government has adopted a relatively cautious forecast for Macao’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) in 2026, setting the expectation at 236 billion patacas (US$29.264 billion), or a monthly average of 19.67 billion patacas (US$2.44 billion). This sum constitutes the principal source of the budgeted government revenues.
The 2026 budget bill projects that direct gaming tax revenue will amount to 82.6 billion patacas (US$10.2424 billion), representing 35 per cent of the six gaming concessionaires’ GGR. Macao’s gaming operators currently pay a 35 per cent direct tax on their gross gaming receipts to the government, plus an additional five per cent in levies for various public causes.
