In just the first five months of 2012, the Macau government has already raked in MOP50.6 billion (US$6.3 billion) in public revenue, almost 50 percent of the MOP101.9 billion approved budget for this year. Between January and May, the government raked in MOP44 billion in revenue from direct taxes on gaming, a 25 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Public expenditure was also up for the first five months of 2012, reaching MOP15.5 billion, or 22 percent more than for the same period last year. Even so, the government has so far spent less than one quarter of what it budgeted for the full year. The government recorded a surplus of MOP35.2 billion in the first five months of the year, up by 21.4 percent compared with the same period last year.
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