Financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2015
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     The Government announced today (July 31) its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2015.

     Expenditure for the period April to June 2015 amounted to HK$99.4 billion and revenue HK$72.9 billion, resulting in a cumulative year-to-date deficit of HK$26.5 billion.

     A government spokesperson said that the cumulative year-to-date 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$802 billion as at June 30, 2015.

     More detailed figures are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

TABLE 1.   CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT (Note 1)

                   Month ended   Three months ended
                  June 30, 2015     June 30, 2015
                  -------------  ------------------
                   HK$ million       HK$ million

Revenue             22,674.9           72,864.1
Expenditure        (33,997.0)         (99,345.9)
                  -------------  ------------------
Deficit            (11,322.1)         (26,481.8)
                  -------------  ------------------

Financing
 Domestic
  Banking Sector    11,167.3          25,181.3
   (Notes 2)
  Non-Banking Sector   154.8           1,300.5
 External               -                  -
                  -------------  ------------------
Total               11,322.1          26,481.8
                  -------------  ------------------

Government Debts as at June 30, 2015 (Note 3)
  HK$1,500 million
Debts Guaranteed by Government as at June 30, 2015 (Note 4)
  HK$50,068.4 million

TABLE 2.   FISCAL RESERVES

                    Month ended   Three months ended
                   June 30, 2015     June 30, 2015
                   -------------  ------------------
                    HK$ million       HK$ million

Fiscal Reserves      813,354.4         828,514.1
at start of period

Consolidated Deficit (11,322.1)        (26,481.8)
                   -------------  -----------------
Fiscal Reserves      802,032.3         802,032.3
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 June 30, 2015 was HK$115,426 million.

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

3. These were the outstanding institutional notes as at June 30, 2015, which were denominated in Hong Kong dollars with maturity in July 2019. They do not include the outstanding bonds with nominal value of HK$92,600 million and alternative bonds with nominal value of US$2,000 million (equivalent to HK$15,505 million as at June 30, 2015) issued under the Government Bond Programme (with proceeds credited to the Bond Fund). Of these bonds under the Government Bond Programme, bonds with nominal value of HK$28,000 million will mature within the period from July 2015 to June 2016 and the rest within the period from July 2016 to August 2024.

4. Includes guarantees provided under the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2001, the Special Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2008, the Special Concessionary Measures under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme launched in 2012, a commercial loan of the Ocean Park Corporation and a commercial loan of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

Ends/Friday, July 31, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:30

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