The Macau SAR Government collected gaming tax revenue of MOP$1.58 billion (US$195 million) in January, representing a 51.5% decline on the same month in 2022. It was, however, 28.5% higher than December’s tax take of MOP$1.23 billion (US$153 million), according to figures from the Financial Services Bureau (DSF).
Macau’s January gaming tax correlates to the December GGR figure of MOP$3.48 billion (US$435 million), which was 56.3% lower than December 2021. Gaming revenues in Macau did not start to pick up again until 8 January 2023, when most remaining COVID-19 border restrictions were dropped.
In announcing January’s tax figures, the DSF also revealed it has budgeted tax revenues of MOP$50.9 billion (US$6.3 billion) in 2023, slightly higher than the government’s 2022 tax budget of MOP$49.8 billion. As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, actual gaming tax take in 2022 reached only of MOP$19.1 billion (US$2.37 billion), down 43.7% on the MOP$33.9 billion (US$4.20 billion) collected in 2021.
Macau’s gaming taxes included a 35% “special gaming tax” paid directly to the Macau government plus another 5% in other charges, comprising a 2% levy which funds the Macao Foundation’s cultural, social, economic, educational, scientific, academic and philanthropic activities, and a 3% contribution to the urban construction, tourism and social security fund.
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