Anton Tai removed from office, CE says a replacement is being proposed to the central gov’t

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Anton Tai, has been removed from his post, the State Council announced yesterday (April 16).

According to a statement from the local government, the decision by the Central People’s Government was made at the proposal of the Chief Executive (CE), Sam Hou Fai.

The same statement noted that Tai had previously submitted his resignation to the CE, citing “personal reasons” for stepping down.

In the note to the press, the CE also stated that, “since the inauguration of this government, Anton Tai has performed his duties as Secretary for Economy and Finance with distinction, implementing the governance guidelines and work plans of the Macau SAR Government. He led the team in economics and finance, acting in accordance with the law, with a sense of responsibility, determination, and efficiency, and driven progress in these areas,” he said, while thanking Tai for his efforts and contributions to the development of Macau.

Sam also remarked that, under the procedures for these cases, the government is handling the nomination process for the new Secretary and will duly submit the nomination to the Central People’s Government for final appointment.

Until the new Secretary takes office, all powers inherent in the position will be exercised by the CE, as stated in the Basic Law.

In a separate note from the Office of the Secretary, Tai confirmed that he had requested to step down from his post, citing personal reasons.

He thanked the Central Government and the CE for the trust and support during his tenure as Secretary for Economy and Finance and expressed gratitude to all public servants in the economy and finance sector for their hard work and cooperation.

Tai’s last public appearance was on Monday (April 13), when he attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 regulatory training program on international modern financial regulatory challenges and responses, held by the “Association of Lusophone Insurance Supervisors” (ASEL) and hosted at MGM Macau.

Many challenges in the short term

Tai, 57, has been promoted to the post of Secretary for Economy and Finance of the government led by Sam (in late December 2024) after serving in several posts in the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT), including most recently as bureau director, a post he was holding since April 2016.

Seen as a very important piece of the government, the Secretary for Economy and Finance is the third in the hierarchy after the CE and the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Wong Sio Chak.

In addition to leading the local economy through all economic- and finance-related policies, the Secretariat also exercises direct supervision over activities and policies related to the gaming and tourism industries.

Last year, he was appointed as the Director of the Executive Committee of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone and was also responsible for leading efforts to develop the zone.

In his first real budget presentation (the previous year the budget had been presented by the former Secretary Lei Wai Nong, with Tai being only in charge of amendments), following the policy address in November last year, Tai was a target of public criticism by several sectors of society, namely lawmakers who compose the Legislative Assembly (AL), for presenting a budget based on a (seen as) unreal forecast for the gaming industry.

At the AL, Tai presented a government projection for the city’s casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) to reach MOP236 billion in 2026, a forecast that has always been omitted from the CE’s 2026 policy address.

The projected figure fell short of the initial 2025 forecast (MOP240 billion) made by the outgoing government of Ho Iat Seng.

This forecast also reflected, in practical terms, the assumption of a decline in the gaming industry this year, as it was around 4.6% lower than the actual GGR level at the end of 2025 and ran counter to the trend noted by all market analysts.

While several lawmakers criticized the government’s MOP236 billion projection, calling it “too conservative” and “disconnected from reality,” a newly elected lawmaker and businessman, Kevin Ho, went further in his criticism, remarking that such a projection signals a decline in the gaming industry’s performance and accusing the government of posing an economic risk by sending “the wrong message to investors and revealing a pessimistic view of the local economy for the coming year.”

Tai faces impact of satellite casino closures

Just-resigned Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai has faced significant criticism in recent months over the decision to close all satellite casinos by December 31, 2025, a move that not only impacted the gaming industry but also triggered a notable “snowball” effect in surrounding districts, particularly ZAPE, where many businesses dependent on casino patronage have shut down.

Interviewed by the Hong Kong media outlet TVB, lawmaker José Pereira Coutinho noted that Macau’s economic situation has been deteriorating and that the Secretariat for Economy and Finance seems to have failed to keep pace with policies to counteract this downturn.

Without clearly stating if this was in any way related to the sudden departure of Tai, Coutinho said, “We have been seeing [job-related] benefits getting worse and worse, and salaries getting lower and lower,” he said, remarking on the loss of purchasing power among residents in the past 20 years and noting that entry salaries for fresh university graduates are now back at MOP8,000 to 9,000, which was the entry level around two decades ago.

Mentioning also the closure of the satellite casinos, the same lawmaker noted that “After the closure, the outer harbor area has been severely affected, and other neighboring areas were also greatly impacted, with more than a hundred shops closing down.”

Another aspect in which Coutinho believes the Secretariat, led by Tai, has been failing is in the management of the recruitment of imported labor.

“There are simply too many foreign workers,” he said, also claiming that “these [issues] are just the tip of the iceberg of problems that need to be addressed.”

Tai was also one of the key figures preparing to lead a 120-strong delegation on a European tour from today until April 26.

The delegation of government representatives and businesspeople, with a strong focus on business and tourism cooperation, is set to begin today, a 10-day visit to Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium. RM