Budget 2013: What will be in it for me?

SINGLES

Miss Linah Lui, 44, an administrator.

Home: She lives in a three-room flat in Toa Payoh with her 66-year-old widowed mother, a housewife. Miss Lui owns the flat. She has two younger brothers, one of whom is married.

Family income: $6,000 to $7,000 a month

My biggest worry now is: Singles like myself are a neglected segment. While I do not have children to care for, I've a mother to take care of, a house to pay off and bills to think about. With life spans increasing, I'll be 60 when my mother is 80. I fear that the lack of a support network for singles will be to our detriment 10, 20 years down the road when we ourselves are older and may not be as able to care for our parents.

The Government should: Tweak some policies to better cater to singles. While it should not be a cradle-to-grave system which will stress the Government financially, small policy tweaks will go a long way and be a welcome signal to singles that we are not forgotten. For instance, the Government can grant singles subsidies when we apply for maids.

I hope the Budget will: Make it mandatory for employers to grant singles leave to take care of our ageing parents, just as young parents get childcare leave. Whenever my mother is ill, I've to take leave to take her to the doctor. It will be great if we can be given three to five days leave a year to attend to the needs of seniors at home.

In Budget 2012

Last year's Budget did not focus on Singaporeans who are not married.

For more news and analysis on Singapore Budget 2013, click here for ST's Big Story coverage.

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