Budget hongbao should be for those who need it

EVERY January and February, with the confluence of Chinese New Year and Singapore’s pre-Budget season, a perennial metaphor reappears: the Budget hongbao.

Referring to goodies such as cash handouts or tax rebates, the metaphor has had considerable staying power. This is to the likely consternation of the Ministry of Finance, which wants each Budget to be seen as a strategic plan that builds upon past policies – and presumably not a checklist against which to play “What’s in store for me from this year’s Budget?”

Given the government’s arguable paternalism over the decades, perhaps Singaporeans can be forgiven their attachment to this metaphor (and journalists can be excused their fondness for the convenient shorthand). Yet as societal attitudes toward actual hongbao evolve, so should expectations of Budget hongbao.