Gaming tax revenue collected from Macau’s concessionaires grew by almost 28% month-on-month in August to MOP$3.27 billion (US$408 million) as its roller-coaster ride through the COVID-19 pandemic continued.
The August figure was exactly in line with the government’s average monthly tax take through the first six months of 2021, MOP$19.64 billion (US$2.45 billion) in total, but a strong improvement over the MOP$2.56 billion (US$320 million) in July.
According to figures published by the Financial Services Bureau this week, total gaming tax collected through the first eight months of the year reached MOP$25.47 billion (US$3.18 billion) – representing just 50.9% of the MOP$50 billion (US$6.24 billion) the government has budgeted for 2021.
Macau is one of the most heavily taxed casino jurisdictions in the world with an effective tax rate of 39% once all fees and levies are taken into account.
Based on Financial Services Bureau figures, gaming tax has comprised 73% of all government revenue so far in 2021.