Since $1 million was awarded to swimmer Joseph Schooling as a gift for winning an Olympic gold medal for Singapore, why is this amount subjected to income tax ("What will Schooling do with his $1m award?"; last Friday)?

It is clearly not an income and is a gift from the Tote Board and Singapore Pools. All lottery winnings awarded by these two organisations are not subjected to income tax, as they are considered windfalls and not income.

Giving 20 per cent to the Singapore Swimming Association is fair, on account of the time and money invested in him.

Schooling's parents spent more than $1 million for their son to study and train in the United States.

Instead of slapping taxes onto this gift, why not let Schooling's parents recoup more of their investment?

Subramani Hariharan