Wealth tax: not a magic bullet for wealth inequality
It needs to be finely calibrated to target the top echelons of wealth, and collections should ultimately be channelled towards redistributive measures
THE imposition of some form of wealth tax is a hotly anticipated subject in the upcoming Budget, next to the expectation of a GST hike.
In the short term, a wealth tax would help to expand the government's revenue. In the longer term, it may help to address Singapore's widening wealth disparity.
Government officials have emphasised the need to build a more inclusive society. Certainly Singapore's social expenditure for items like health and education has been rising. With an ageing population, healthcare expenditure is expected to triple to nearly S$60 billion a year by 2030.
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