Budget 2022: A progressive move towards greater solidarity

THOUGH the changes in tax rates were marginal, the rhetoric was bold. In his first Budget speech, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong built upon pandemic-forged solidarity to frame the paying of taxes as not a necessary evil, but an active show of solidarity.

It can be easy - not least for jaded reporters - to carelessly assume that the government is wedded to certain fears and orthodoxies: Don't tax the wealthy or the high-earners too much, lest we erode their work ethic or cause them to flee abroad. Keep corporate taxes low, to stay competitive. Singaporeans don't even want to pay higher taxes to support their fellow citizens, do they?

But fiscal pressures continue to build, making it untenable to leave tax rates untouched. Meanwhile, decades into nationhood, its seems reasonable to believe that Singaporeans are capable of making personal sacrifices for their fellow citizens - not least as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has shown.