Financial results for the six months ended September 30, 2012
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     The Government announced today (October 31) its financial results for the six months ended September 30, 2012.

     Expenditure for the period April to September 2012 amounted to HK$190.6 billion and revenue HK$132.6 billion, resulting in a deficit of HK$58 billion.

     A government spokesperson said that the deficit for the period was mainly because some major types of revenue including salaries and profits taxes were mostly received towards the end of a financial year.

     The fiscal reserves stood at HK$611.1 billion as at September 30, 2012.

     More detailed figures are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

TABLE 1.   CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT (Note 1)

                  Month ended       Six months ended
              September 30, 2012   September 30, 2012
              ------------------   ------------------
                  HK$ million          HK$ million

Revenue            14,849.2             132,626.0
Expenditure       (36,831.3)           (190,642.3)
              ------------------   ------------------
Deficit           (21,982.1)            (58,016.3)
              ------------------   ------------------

Financing
 Domestic
  Banking Sector     22,211.0              58,295.0
   (Note 2)
  Non-Banking Sector   (228.9)               (278.7)
 External                 -                   -
              ------------------   ------------------
Total                21,982.1              58,016.3
              ------------------   ------------------

Government Debts as at September 30, 2012 (Note 3)
  HK$11,193.1 million
Debts Guaranteed by Government as at September 30, 2012 (Note 4)
  HK$63,750.5 million

TABLE 2.   FISCAL RESERVES

                  Month ended       Six months ended
              September 30, 2012   September 30, 2012
              ------------------   ------------------
                  HK$ million          HK$ million

Fiscal Reserves    633,054.4           669,088.6
at start of period

Consolidated       (21,982.1)          (58,016.3)
Deficit        -----------------   ------------------

Fiscal Reserves    611,072.3           611,072.3
at end of period
               -----------------   ------------------

Notes:

1. This Account consolidates the General Revenue Account and the following eight funds: Capital Works Reserve Fund, Capital Investment Fund, Civil Service Pension Reserve Fund, Disaster Relief Fund, Innovation and Technology Fund, Land Fund, Loan Fund and Lotteries Fund. It excludes the Bond Fund, the balance of which is not part of the fiscal reserves. The Bond Fund balance as at September 30, 2012, is HK$66,057 million.

2. Includes transactions with the Exchange Fund and resident banks.

3. These are the outstanding institutional notes (including US$1.25 billion denominated in United States dollars) as at September 30, 2012, which will mature within the period from August 2014 to July 2019. The outstanding bonds of HK$64,000 million issued under the Government Bond Programme (with proceeds credited to the Bond Fund) are excluded. Of these bonds, HK$7,000 million will mature within the period from October 2012 to September 2013 and the rest within the period from October 2013 to August 2021.

4. Includes guarantees provided under the Special Finance Scheme for Small and Medium Enterprises launched in 1998, the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2001, the Special Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2008, the Film Guarantee Fund and the commercial loan of the Ocean Park Corporation.

Ends/Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:30

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