Budget a strategic plan for S'pore: Heng

The Budget is a comprehensive, strategic plan for Singapore, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat (in pink) on Feb 18, 2018. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

The upcoming Budget will be pro-Singaporean, pro-business and pro-environment, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said yesterday during the River Hongbao celebrations.

Mr Heng, who is due to give his annual Budget statement in Parliament today, was addressing crowds gathered at The Float @ Marina Bay.

"Budget Day is tomorrow. Everyone has been asking me if there will be a hongbao," Mr Heng joked in Mandarin.

But the Budget is actually a comprehensive, strategic plan for Singapore, he added in a more serious tone.

"In the coming 10 to 15 years, we will face some very large challenges, so we need a strategic plan to build a better Singapore," he said.

Ahead of Budget day, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean also spoke yesterday of the need to help companies improve their technology and workforce, and help workers gain skills needed for the "jobs of the future".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 19, 2018, with the headline Budget a strategic plan for S'pore: Heng. Subscribe