For hawkers to go cashless, tax is food for thought

SINGAPORE'S weak progress in going cashless is somewhat mind-boggling, considering the small size of the city-state, and a society that is so plugged into the digital economy.

But perhaps the conversations have been dancing around the nub of the issue for a critical group in the cash economy: tax on hawkers.

The statistics about Singapore's love for cold, hard, cash are well-worn. Cash in circulation in Singapore is 8.8 per cent of GDP, compared to 4.4 per cent in Australia and 2.12 per cent in Sweden.

But a 2016 KPMG study gives off more clues. It showed t…