Why vouchers instead of cash: PM Wong answers burning questions on Budget 2025
IF BUDGET 2025 is seen as generous, that is only because the government has managed its finances responsibly and well, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday (Feb 25).
In a short clip uploaded to his social media accounts, PM Wong answered four questions that he had received since delivering the Budget statement on Feb 18.
On whether Budget 2025 is an election Budget, he said it was a fact that the government’s latest spending plan coincides with a year when the general election will be held.
The government is able to provide a suite of support measures in this Budget as it has managed its resources properly, and because it is doing everything it can to help Singaporeans cope with cost pressures and to improve their lives, PM Wong said in the video uploaded one day before the Budget debate in Parliament.
“That has always been our focus, and will continue to be so,” he added.
PM Wong, who is also the finance minister, replied to a question on whether measures in Budget 2025 are temporary in nature.
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“I know there is a lot of attention on the headline items in the Budget, but if you look at the SG60 package as well as the cost-of-living support measures, they only make up about 5 per cent of our overall Budget,” he said.
The bulk of government spending will be towards structural, longer-term programmes. In this year’s Budget, the government is taking further steps to strengthen Singapore’s economy and social support system, he added, citing the SkillsFuture programme and long-term care for seniors.
“At the same time, we are investing in the future to make sure that we are able to expand access to clean power and to protect our coastlines against rising sea levels,” he said.
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On the question of why vouchers instead of cash, PM Wong said there are cash support measures in the Budget, and the authorities decided to give out SG60 Vouchers instead of cash given that the country has had some years of experience with Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers.
Response to the CDC Vouchers has been very positive, and providing support in the form of vouchers also benefits the many participating heartland hawkers and merchants, he added.
As for how people can see what they get in total from this Budget, he pointed Singaporeans to a support calculator on the government’s SupportGoWhere website.
PM Wong said he was certain more questions will be raised by MPs when Parliament debates the Budget from Feb 26 to 28, and that he will address them in his round-up speech on Feb 28. THE STRAITS TIMES
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