Budget 2014 is about doing the right thing

• Main Author: EUGENE, Tan K. B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2014
• Subjects: Asian Studies; Political Economy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/3751; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/5709/viewcontent/TODAY_20140224_1.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law and NMP Eugene Tan opined that the Budget’s move for the Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) was important and the right thing to do, as it mattered politically, and provided benefits and assurance to the pioneers. He said it was wise to set aside the $8b cost of the package, so future generations would not bear the cost of financing it. The Budget had acknowledged its role in caring for the elderly as well as preparing for the future and promoting social mobility through education assistance schemes for the children of lower earners, he said. He added that it was good for the Government to equalise CPF contribution rates for employees and employers in this Budget, since a balance would eventually have to be made between helping retirement saving and keeping wages competitive, and that there would never be a “perfect” time to do so. Associate Prof Tan highlighted that even as the Budget contained themes of growth and inclusiveness, more could be done to develop its concept of the social investment state, as it was necessary to provide social support and protection from external risks and internal threats. He said that Budget 2014 had taken an important step in the evolution of Singapore’s social investment state.