Budget 2018

Singapore Budget 2018: One flute, three kids –Who do you give it to?

The moral choices behind our Budget allocation speak volumes about who we are as a society

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Much of the commentary on Budget 2018 has focused on measures such as the impending hike in Goods and Services Tax, raising the top marginal Buyer's Stamp Duty and, of course, the one-off SG Bonus arising from the $9.6 billion budget surplus.

But Budget 2018 has also been notable for its silence on several issues. Commentators have lamented that more could be done to address inequality and poverty, as well as to support families having to care for the elderly.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 28, 2018, with the headline One flute, three kids –Who do you give it to?. Subscribe