Forum: Government committed to supporting parenthood

We thank Ms Helen Saada-Ching and Ms Melissa Woo for their letters “Relook personal income tax relief cap in the light of fertility crisis” (May 18) and “Don’t diminish benefits of Working Mother’s Child Relief” (May 22).

We recognise that while parenthood brings immense joy and meaning, raising children also requires significant commitment and resources.

Hence in recent years, the Government has significantly enhanced support for families through measures such as the Baby Bonus Scheme, MediSave Grant for Newborns and the new Large Families Scheme. Together, a family with three children can receive more than $100,000 in direct government support, regardless of income. This is on top of substantial subsidies for pre-school, education and healthcare.

The $80,000 personal income tax relief cap was introduced to preserve the fairness and progressivity of our tax system, and to avoid a situation where the cumulative effect of multiple reliefs disproportionately benefits a small group of higher-income individuals. Most working mothers, including those with more children, will still be able to benefit fully from the Working Mother’s Child Relief without being affected by the cap.

Marriage and parenthood decisions are shaped by many factors. But we agree that policy signals matter. The Government remains firmly committed to supporting Singaporeans who aspire to marry and raise families. The recently established inter-agency workgroup will review our policies more broadly, and work with stakeholders to foster a more supportive environment for marriage, parenthood and family life in Singapore.

Soffy Hariyanti
Director, Communications and Engagement
Ministry of Finance

Winston Chai 
Director, Corporate Communications 
Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office