Hong Kong’s public expenditure growth cannot exceed revenue rise: Paul Chan

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Ng Kang-chungFebruary 1, 2026 at 10:50 AM

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Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po stated that public expenditure growth should not outpace revenue increases, despite improving finances and market expectations for increased government investment. Chan anticipates positive retail sales figures for December 2025, building on November's 6.5% year-on-year increase. He highlighted a strong start to 2026, citing unexpectedly high stamp duty revenue due to a booming stock market, with the Hang Seng Index rising nearly 7% in January. The average daily turnover also increased by 90% compared to the previous year. Chan is scheduled to announce the next budget on February 25th.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Hang Seng Index 60% Paul Chan Mo-po ×290% Hong Kong 100%

Keywords

public expenditure 90% revenue growth 80% economic development 70% retail sales 70% financial secretary 60% hong kong 60% budget 50% stock market 50% stamp duty 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.30

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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public expenditure revenue growth economic development retail sales financial secretary hong kong budget stock market stamp duty

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