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The Government has no plans to revise the gaming tax nor it is considering the issue, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today. Mr Tam stated this when he was asked by reporters for comments at a Lunar New Year reception hosted by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the MSAR. He also said that the Government would consult the public over the legal framework of the establishment of a financial reserve system. Mr Tam said this was due to Government's increasing revenues, which saw an accumulation exceeding 50 billion patacas in the last two years, largely due to increased revenues from gaming tax, property transfer tax and other levies. He also disclosed that the Government has plans to increase the pension for the elderly, which is administered by the Social Security Fund, and lower the minimum eligible age to 60.
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We should act in accordance to the interest of the nation and Macao, the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today. Speaking at the Lunar New Year reception hosted by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the MSAR, Mr Ho said the evolution of the society, rapid economic growth and enhanced living standard achieved over the past eight years should be attributed to the support of the Central Government and the relentless pursuit of residents. He said that the SAR accumulated experience through testing and had enhanced its unity in face of difficulties. Moreover, it faced challenges, which in turns brought opportunities to the society. The SAR had walked through a bumpy road, but this experience laid a firmer foundation for the future, he said. He urged the residents to put the interests of the nation and Macao as the top priority, unite as a whole, facilitate social harmony, and work hard to optimise the industrial structure; thus, the long-term stability of Macao could be achieved. Afterwards, he expressed his gratitude to the Liaison Office for its vigorous support for the SAR, and wished members of the Liaison Office and all the other guests good health and a prosperous year ahead.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service showed that in the fourth quarter of 2007, the average daily wage of the overall construction workers was MOP595, up by 6.7% over the previous quarter. The average wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers was MOP625, of which truck drivers had the highest average wage of MOP713, which was followed by scaffolders at MOP679, up by 2.3% and 7.3% respectively from the preceding quarter. The average of unskilled workers was MOP364, down slightly by 0.5%. In nominal terms, the wage index for the fourth quarter of 2007 rose by 6.7% from the previous quarter to 224.9, up by 16.0% over the same quarter of 2006. In real terms, the wage index for the fourth quarter of 2007 rose by 5.0% from the previous quarter, of which the wage index of skilled & semi-skilled workers increased by 6.1% and that of unskilled workers went down by 2.1%.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that Macao’s total value of exports amounted to MOP1.83 billion in December 2007, up by 14.6% over the same month of 2006. Among this, domestic exports went up by 27.2% to MOP1.27 billion, while re-exports decreased by 6.5% to MOP559 million. Total value of imports amounted to MOP3.77 billion, up by 11.5% over December 2006. A trade deficit of MOP1.95 billion was recorded for December 2007. For 2007 as a whole, total exports dropped slightly by 0.2% over 2006 to MOP20.43 billion, of which domestic exports fell by 6.0% whereas re-exports rose by 13.6%. Meanwhile, imports grew by 18.0% to MOP43.11 billion, bringing about a trade deficit of MOP22.68 billion. The exports/imports ratio decreased from 56.0% in 2006 to 47.4%. The value of Textile & garment exports in 2007, which accounted for 65.6% of the total exports, decreased by 8.6% over 2006; nevertheless, the value of Non-textile exports rose by 21.3%, of which Machines & apparatus, parts & accessories thereof expanded by 56.2% while Footwear fell by 1.7%. The USA and the EU remained the major destinations of Macao’s exports, together making up 58.8% of the total value of exports; however, the values of exports to the USA and the EU decreased by 8.1% and 6.9% respectively over 2006. Macao’s main suppliers of imported goods concentrated in the Asian region. Imports from Mainland China and Hong Kong, comprising 52.7% of the total value of imports, rose by 11.6% and 17.0% respectively compared with 2006. In terms of broad economic categories, the values of imports of Capital goods, Consumer goods and Fuels & lubricants rose by 37.3%, 26.4% and 22.8% respectively over 2006, whereas the imports of Raw materials & semi-manufactures registered a decrease of 4.2%.
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Views on how to further enhance reinforcement on co-operation between Macao and Guangdong were further exchanged today when the Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, met the Secretary of the Guangdong CPC Provincial Committee, Mr Wang Yang, in Guangzhou. During the meeting, Mr Wang said Macao-Guangdong co-operation would enter a new phase, as he would place the economic, cultural and any other forms of co-operation in a very important position. Mr Ho said Macao, with the great support from the Central Government and especially from Guangdong province, has obtained a good foundation after reunification with China, and said that a profound achievement has been acquired under the Macao-Guangdong co-operation mechanism. Mr Ho told reporters that both sides have exchanged ideas on how to further enhance co-operation. Meanwhile, in response to questions regarding antenna companies that stopped relaying television broadcasts signals last night, Mr Ho said it was inappropriate to take Macao people's right to watch television programmes as chips for negotiation, and he said the issue should be settled rationally. Also attending the meeting were the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Huang Huahua, the Vice Governor, Wan Qingliang, the Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Provincial Committee, Mr Tong Bingquan; Macao's Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, the Chief of the Office of Chief Executive, Mr Ho Veng On, and the Director of Government Information Bureau, Mr Victor Chan.
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To further enhance the air transport market between Macao and Japan, the aeronautical authorities of the two places held an informal meeting on 29 and 30 January 2008 in Macao and signed a new Record of Discussions (ROD), which helps to pave way for the conclusion of a bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA) that governs the operation of scheduled air services between the two places in the future. The new ROD marks a big milestone for the development of air services between Macao and Japan as it lifts the capacity limitation and opens up the number of Japanese cities that Macao’s designated airline can fly to. The signatories were the President of the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM), Mr. Simon Chan, and the Director of International Air Transport Division, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, Mr. Hiroshi Narahira. Apart from the civil aviation officials of the two places, the delegations were also composed of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Consulate General of Japan in Hong Kong, as well as representatives from the airlines of the two parties and Macau International Airport. The meeting was conducted in a cordial and friendly manner. Based on the first ROD which was signed in July 2006 in Japan, both parties adopted a liberal manner in releasing the constraints that were previously set forth. According to the first ROD, the designated airlines of each party were only allowed to operate three flights per week between Macao and Japan; the destination granted to the designated airline of Macao was limited to Osaka. The new ROD lifts the capacity limitation and Macao’s designated airline is now allowed to operate to all Japanese cities except Tokyo. Regarding the point of Tokyo, the Japanese side explained that they are only able to allow Macao’s airlines to operate charter services to the city at the present moment due to the severe capacity constraints of Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport. In addition to discussing this issue, both parties expressed positive attitude towards holding air consultations for an Air Services Agreement between Macao and Japan in the future. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan is now coordinating with their Ministry of Foreign Affairs in working out the ASA draft. The draft will be sent to the Macao side for study after the Japanese side has accomplished all the necessary internal procedures. The Japanese side expected that the consultations can take place in 2008. Japan is a country with strong economy in Asia. Its population of outbound travels is not only enormous but with high consumption power. According to the data of the Statistical and Census Bureau of Macao SAR, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Macao rose from 122,184 in 2004 to 299,406 in 2007, an average of 30% annual increase. In 2007, the Japanese ranked number 4 in the East Asia market of Macao’s tourism. On the other hand, Japan possesses rich tourism resources and is a popular tourist destination for the Macao residents. Ever since the gaming industry in Macao has been liberalized, the local economy has been facing favourable growth, stimulating the residents to travel outbound. Now with the opening up of more Japanese cities for direct scheduled flights and the lifting of capacity limitation, the tourism market between the two places can further be enhanced. Upon obtaining the administrative permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan in July 2007, Air Macau then started to operate scheduled air services between Macao and Osaka. The current frequency is 3 flights per week. The airline plans to gradually increase the frequency to one daily flight this year. In addition, the airline is in discussion with All Nippon Airways on code sharing between the Japanese inland cities. Apart from Osaka, Air Macau, VIVA Macau and Japan Airlines operated a total of 44 charter flights between Macao and other Japanese cities including Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and so on in 2007. Macao’s economy has been greatly boosted by the tourism and the gaming industries. The implementation of the individual traveling scheme in Macao by the mainland has led to a tremendous increase in the number of tourists visiting the city. In accordance with the demand for air traffic and the requests made by other countries, AACM takes an active part in contacting with the foreign countries for concluding an ASA or renewing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). In 2008, AACM also plans to hold air talks with Qatar, Angola and Mozambique and renew the MOUs with the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the number of licensed vehicles in Macao totalled 175,845 at the end of 2007, up by 7% over 2006, of which 92,296 (52%) were motorcycles and 71,328 (41%) were light private cars. New registration of vehicles grew by 20% year-on-year to 21,997 in 2007, with motorcycles and light vehicles accounting for 62% and 35% respectively. Total number of traffic accidents for the whole year of 2007 was similar to that of 2006, at 12,974 cases, which resulted in 4,462 casualties, including 17 deaths. Traffic flow by land between Macao and Mainland China rose by 15% to 3,807,517 vehicle trips. The Border Gate was the major passage that took up 81% of the total and the Checkpoint of CoTai recorded 727,059 vehicle trips. Commercial flights at the Macao International Airport went up by 4% year-on-year to 49,441 in 2007. Taiwan, China and Mainland China were the major routes that accounted for 44% and 33% respectively of the total commercial flights to/from Macao. At the Outer Harbour, helicopter flights between Macao and Hong Kong grew by 5% over 2006 to 17,660; meanwhile, 3,041 helicopter flights were recorded between Macao and Mainland China. Passenger transport by sea between Macao and Hong Kong rose by 8% compared with 2006 to 87,669 ferry trips; passenger ferry operating between Macao and Mainland China totalled 17,406 trips, up by 17%. For containerized cargo, total seaborne container throughput in 2007 increased by 4% to 138,685 TEUs or 92,042 containers handled, up by 6% over 2006. Gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo increased marginally by 1% to 329,288 tonnes, of which 44,337 tonnes were transshipment goods. Meanwhile, gross weight of containerized cargo by land increased slightly by 1% to 75,835 tonnes, including 27,734 tonnes of transit goods. Outward cargo handled at the Macao International Airport fell by 22% year-on-year to 69,625 tonnes in 2007. Taiwan, China; Mainland China; and Luxembourg were the major destinations that accounted for 63%, 12% and 8% of the total respectively. Concurrently, inward air cargo decreased by 6% to 22,758 tonnes, of which cargos from Taiwan, China took a predominant share of 85%. In addition, transit air cargos handled dropped by 18% over 2006 to 88,553 tonnes. At the end of 2007, number of mobile telephone and fixed-line telephone users reached 794,323 and 178,013, up by 25% and 1% respectively from a year earlier. Regarding internet services, number of subscribers increased to 119,913 and the total duration of usage reached 178.6 million hours in 2007, up by 14% and 47% respectively year-on-year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service showed that in the fourth quarter of 2007, prices of most of the construction materials increased over the previous quarter, in which the average price of spiral and round reinforcing steel bars rose by 14.1% to MOP5,209 per tonne, while that of clamping plate (plywood) went up by 5.0%; nevertheless, the price of concrete continued to decline, down from around MOP300 per cubic metre at the beginning of 2007 to MOP278 at year end. The construction material price index is an indicator that reflects the price change of the major construction materials. In the fourth quarter of 2007, price indices of most of the construction materials registered increases compared with the previous quarter. Among them, the index of steel has seen quarterly rise since the beginning of 2007, with an annual increment of 46.1% from a year earlier; the index of concrete has dropped constantly starting from the third quarter of 2006, while the index of timber kept on increasing in both 2006 and 2007.
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According to the results of the Employment Survey released by the Statistics and Census Service, the unemployment rate for October-December 2007 was held stable at 2.9%, same as that in the previous period (September-November 2007). The underemployment rate was 1.3%, up by 0.1 percentage point over the preceding period. The employed population rose by about 2,400 over the previous period to 313,000. By industry, the number of persons working in Hotels, restaurants & similar activities continued to rise, but that in the Construction sector decreased slightly. The unemployed population was estimated at 9,500, up by 200 compared with the previous period. Among the unemployed, about 1,300 were searching for their first job, down by 1.7 percentage points over the preceding period to take up 13.9% of the total unemployed. Total labour force was estimated at 323,000, with a labour force participation rate of 70.5%, up by 0.2 percentage point over the preceding period. In comparison with the same period of 2006, the unemployment rate for October-December 2007 fell by 0.6 percentage point, while the underemployment rate and the labour force participation rate went up by 0.5 and 3.6 percentage points respectively. For the whole year of 2007, the overall labour force participation rate was 69.2% and the annual unemployment rate was 3.1%. With regard to non-resident workers, administrative information from the Public Security Police indicated that the number of non-resident workers with working permits in Macao totalled 85,207 at the end of December 2007. The unemployment rate of local residents (excluding non-resident workers), released for the first time by the Statistics and Census Service, was 3.6% for the whole year of 2007. Principal employment indicators of Macao residents will be released quarterly starting from the first quarter of 2008.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, today presented honours and awards to 42 people and organisations for their contribution to the city, at a presentation ceremony at the Cultural Centre. The recipients came from all walks of life. They were honoured or awarded in recognition of their contribution to Macao or for their dedicated public and community service. The Medal of Honour is awarded to outstanding individuals and organisations for their contribution to the image, reputation and development of the MSAR. The recipients were: Medal of Honour: Ho Stanley Hung Sun (Grand Lotus); Leong Sut U (Grand Lotus); Peter Pan (Golden Lotus); Ngan In Leng (Silver Lotus); The Medal of Merit, in seven categories including Profession, Industry and Commerce, Tourism, Education, Culture, Altruism and Sport are given to the outstanding individual and organisation that have distinguished service in promoting the development of the relevant sectors in Macao. Medal of Merit: Ho Mei Va (Profession); Lam Chong In (Profession); Leong Ngan (Profession); Wong Shoo Kee (Industry and Commerce); Kou Hoi In (Industry and Commerce); Herculano Jorge de Sousa (Industry and Commerce); Adriano das Neves (Tourism); Wong Kam Chun (Tourism); Un U Wa (Education); Cheng Man Ling Dorothy (Education); Lei Iok Tin (Culture); Tuna Macaense (Culture); Maria de Fátima Salvador dos Santos Ferreira (Altuism); Lo Siu Ha (Altuism); Obra das Mães (Altuism); Chan de Noronha Weng Kit (Sport); Chui Tac Kong (Sport); Jia Rui (Sport); Cai Liangchan (Sport); Distinguish Service Medal is given to outstanding individual and organisation for their fulfillment in duty. Medal of Distinguish Service: Group D, Investigation Department 2, Anti-Corruption Bureau of Commission Against Corruption (Bravery); Lei Chi Leong Franky (Dedication); Kuok Chi Keong (Dedication); Guo Huan Huan (Dedication); Kuan Kun Fan (Dedication); Public Service and Information Centre of Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (Dedication); Ng Soi On (Community Service); Ng Sao Keng (Community Service); Leong Hin Tat (Community Service); Commendations of Prestige and of Merit are given to the individuals who have contributed in the development of MSAR. Commendation: Tang Zesheng (Prestige); Anthony Francis Fernandes (Prestige); Maria Antónia Nicolau Espadinha (Prestige); Wong Hang Cheong (Merit); Xi Chengqing (Merit); Ieong Hou Un (Merit); Cheang Chi Wai (Merit); Macao Lion Dance Team in the Second Asian Indoor Games (Merit); The Macau Association for The Mentally Handicapped (Merit); Flag Marching Band of Hou Kong Middle School (Merit).
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