THE recent media coverage on the possibility of tax increases tells us that the run-up to Budget 2018 is well and truly under way. The Chamber's view is that the government has very few policy options available to it to increase taxation on the current taxpayer base.

It is not surprising that GST has come under the spotlight. Increasing indirect taxation on consumption would be preferable to increasing direct taxation on personal and corporate income. Any increase to the rate of GST will have to come with rebates for the lower income group which would be most affected by any rate increase.

The alternative to a rate increase would be the lowering of the exemption threshold for GST which is higher in Singapore than in other jurisdictions. However, the downside to this would be that more smaller businesses would be liable to charge GST.