Budget 2019
06 Mar 2019
SINGAPORE (Mar 6): Maybank Kim Eng Research says setting up an Airport REIT could be another way of financing Changi Airport’s expansion -- which includes a new Terminal 5 and a third runway -- costing “tens of billions of dollars”.
Such a REIT could also help revive what has been a moribund period for the Singapore Exchange. Last year, IPO proceeds raised amounted to US$512 million, ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 22): Hot on the heels of a $9 billion Pioneer Generation package announced in Budget 2014, the $8 billion Merdeka Generation package is setting up expectations of similar packages for every generation of ageing Singaporeans.
Notably, both are geared towards healthcare and broadly available to an entire generation of Singaporeans.
Already, analysts are expecting at least one ...
22 Feb 2019
SINGAPORE (Feb 22): While the Goods and Services Tax took a back seat in this year’s Budget, apart from adjustments to the GST import reliefs for travellers, businesses were looking forward to a Budget boost that would make it easier for them to navigate global uncertainty.
Regardless, businesses should continue to manage their GST position to protect cash and cut costs to survive the gloom. ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 19): Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat boosted health-care and military spending, gave tax rebates to citizens and tightened rules on foreign workers ahead of an election that could come as early as this year.
Heng announced a new $8 billion support package for seniors in his budget speech on Monday, as well as measures to help local businesses adopt new technologies. ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 18): In commemoration of Singapore’s bicentennial this year, the Singapore government is introducing two special initiatives to "support the spirit of giving back” in the form of a $200 million Bicentennial Community Fund, as well as a $1.1 billion Bicentennial Bonus.
The Bicentennial Community Fund will provide dollar-for-dollar matching for donations made to Institutions ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 18): Singapore will set aside $6.1 billion for a new Merdeka Generation Fund to provide benefits for close to 500,000 Singaporeans born in the 1950s.
With interested accumulated over time, this amount is expected to cover the full projected costs of over $8 billion, which will last over the lifetimes of these Singaporeans currently aged 60 to 69.
“This is a significant ...
18 Feb 2019
SINGAPORE (Feb 18): As more Singaporeans enter their senior years, healthcare needs to grow, according to finance minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget 2019 speech.
Apart from already implementing changes to make healthcare more affordable, accessible and comprehensive, as well as providing greater social support to keep seniors active, another strategy is to provide greater healthcare ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 18): Singapore will continue to build on its position as a Global-Asia node of technology, innovation and enterprise.
“This will open up new opportunities for our firms and our people to ride on the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” says Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget 2019 speech.
To achieve this, the government will invest in Singaporeans, invest ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 18): Lower-wage and older Singaporean workers aged 55 and above will receive more support with the introduction of the Budget 2019 measures, announced Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat during his Singapore Budget speech today.
For one, enhancements be made to the current Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme, which provides cash payouts and CPF top-ups for workers whose earnings ...
SINGAPORE (Feb 18): Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in the Budget 2019 speech on Monday announced measures to support start-ups and enable firms to grow, amid a push to build deep enterprise capabilities.
“Start-ups can only thrive if they scale up, and venture into new markets,” says Heng. “To help them do so, we will provide support in three areas: providing customised assistance, ...