They're not spending so you won't tax them. They're spending so you won't get popular and others like you, because if that dam ever bursts for real, their oligarchic days are numbered (along with maybe their days of being free men after all the criminality). And they know it. They're not stupid.
Almost no amount of money would be "too much" to keep you out of power, the only reason they're moderating the amount they spend at all is that after a certain point it would flip around and start to look wrong and give you even more publicity.