The Housing Board reported a deficit of $2.66 billion for the financial year ended March 31 (Housing Board's annual deficit grows to $2.66b, Oct 24).

This is HDB's highest deficit figure so far. The cumulative government grants provided to HDB since 1960 stand at $36.22 billion.

The nation's successful public housing programmes have come with heavy subsidies from its financial resources. What if, one day, it is unable to provide the subsidies? The prices for the flats sold by the HDB would have to go up, and the various grants and upgrading programmes would have to be curtailed.

The primary objective of the public housing scheme is to provide affordable home ownership to Singaporeans.

If there are "windfalls" from the resale of flats, it is not unfair for HDB to have a fair share of them (Don't penalise those who gain from lottery effect, Dec 10). This would in a way help to recoup part of HDB's deficit.

Ong Kim Bock