Tax revenue collected by the Macau SAR Government directly from gaming operators fell by 53.9% year-on-year to just MOP$1.48 billion (US$183 million) in April, reflecting a significant fall in gaming revenues in recent months.
According to information published by the Financial Services Bureau, April’s gaming tax compared with tax of MOP$3.21 billion (US$397 million) in April 2021 and was also 50.1% lower than the MOP$3.0 billion (US$371 million) in tax recorded in March.
As previously reported by IAG, Macau’s gross gaming revenues hit an 18-month low of MOP$3.67 billion (US$459 million) in March and a 19-month low of MOP$2.68 billion (US$335 million) in April.
For the first four months of 2022 combined, direct gaming taxes have reached MOP$10.21 billion (US$1.26 billion) – down from MOP$12.38 billion (US$1.53 billion) a year earlier and representing just 20.5% of the MOP$49.76 billion (US$6.16 billion) the government had budgeted for FY22.
The government had previously announced tax revenue collected directly from Macau’s gaming operators of MOP$8.73 billion (US$1.08 billion) in 1Q22.
Macau’s gaming taxes include a 35% “special gaming tax” paid directly to the Macau government plus another 4% other charges, comprising a 1.6% levy which funds the Macao Foundation’s cultural, social, economic, educational, scientific, academic and philanthropic activities, and a 2.4% contribution (1.4% for SJM) to the urban construction, tourism and social security fund.
