CE orders budget restraints for 2027, ceiling capped at 2026 level

[Photo: Renato Marques]

By order of the Chief Executive (CE), Sam Hou Fai, the rules and instructions for submitting 2027 budget proposals were published yesterday in the government’s official gazette.

Among the regular guidelines, CE Order No. 69/2026 states that when preparing budget proposals, the various services must note that no increases will be accepted over this year’s budget.

The CE noted the need for all services and departments to carefully assess the necessity and rationality of all expenses, ensuring that they do not exceed the budgeted expenses approved for the current year.

The measures were justified by “the need to adopt measures that provide a clear overview of all revenues and expenditures of the public administrative sector when preparing the budget proposals for the year 2027.”

The rules and guidelines allow for certain exceptions but warn that these cases must be well-founded.

Additionally, for departments and services already included in the overall staffing control system, the guidelines state that the number of staff members should not exceed the number of places allocated to each supervisory entity.

This means that within a given entity or bureau, there is some flexibility to adjust the number of posts between services or departments, as long as the overall number of staff does not increase.

All public entities should submit their budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year to the CE by Oct. 8.