AS A former Singapore Armed Forces serviceman, I am heartened by the $100 bonus as a 'growth dividend'. Yet, my service pales in comparison to my fallen comrades who had lost their lives while serving the nation, be it in active duty or as a reservist. I urge the Government to remember them when distributing future 'growth dividends'. The dividends can be given to their surviving parents if they were single or to their surviving spouse if they were married. The growth dividend should be our way of saying 'thank you' to their loved ones.

Thirunavuk Arasu Balasingam

...the disabled and ex-convicts

A STRAITS TIMES writer cleverly used the terms man-in-the-BMW and man-in-the-Nissan-Sunny to denote the very rich from the not-so-rich. Unfortunately, the Budget giveaways do not include the man-in-the-wheelchair, that is, people with certain disabilities who have been crying out for free public transport to take them to and from work. An entitlement of a couple of hundred dollars can greatly offset their transportation expenses. A bigger budget should also be allocated to the rehabilitation of prison inmates.

Ronald Lee Yew Kee

Cheaper liquor, more drink drivers?

WILL the reduction in taxes on liquor encourage more consumption that will lead to an increase in drink-driving cases?

Chin Kee Thou

No rental? Mortgages to pay

ITEM 2.8 of the Budget states that the value of homes is affecting inflation, and that luckily, 95 per cent of Singapore citizens own homes and don't pay rental. But most of them are paying mortgages. What is the difference?

Richard Ng Song Peng

Focus on better pay

IN THE January 2008 issue of the Monthly Digest Of Statistics, Singapore, which was released this month, the statistics for average monthly nominal earnings per employee were reported. In the fourth quarter of 2006, we earned an average of $3,961. This dropped in the first quarter of last year to $3,903, to $3,578 in the next quarter, and slided yet again to $3,481 in the third quarter. This drop of 12.1 per cent in four quarters does not take into account inflation. Can we focus on increasing the average Singaporean's salary back to fourth-quarter 2006 levels and hopefully to beyond those levels?

Dr Thomas Sim Wai Tat

All in all, we like what we hear

DESPITE Budget handouts, I'd still rather be rich than poor or middle-class. But it almost seemed good to be poor. Yet, our welfare net is not impervious enough to prevent the needy from slipping through the cracks. And some of the middle-class are still sceptical as recent hikes in ERP and university charges make these Budget giveaways seem like 'one hand taking away what the other hand gives'. Still, Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, we like what we hear and we want you to stay on.

Dr Huang Shoou Chyuan