Heng Swee Keat to deliver 2019 Budget statement on Feb 18

The 2019 Budget statement will be delivered by Mr Heng Swee Keat on Feb 18. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will deliver the 2019 Budget statement in Parliament on Feb 18.

It will be the fourth time Mr Heng, who took over as finance minister in 2015, is delivering the Budget statement.

There will be live television and radio coverage of the statement. A live webcast will be available on the Singapore Budget website. The full statement will be uploaded on the website after it has been delivered, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Tuesday (Jan 1).

Real-time updates of key announcements will also be available on MOF's Facebook page and its Twitter account.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Budget feedback exercise, which began on Dec 3, 2018, will conclude on Jan 11.

Singaporeans have already been providing their views throughout the exercise through different platforms, said the ministry. These include Reach's Budget 2019 microsite and e-mail, as well as Reach's Listening Points, which are open booths set up in easily accessible locations for people to provide their feedback.

Two more Listening Points will be held in January.

The first will be at Ngee Ann Polytechnic outside Makan Place on Jan 8 from 11.30am to 2.30pm. The second will be held at the Li Ka Shing Library of Singapore Management University on Jan 10 from 11.30am to 2.30pm.

Singaporeans can also submit their recommendations via the Singapore Budget website, the Reach Budget microsite and the Reach Singapore Facebook page.

They can also provide feedback through the Reach Singapore Twitter account @REACH_Singapore using the hashtag #SGBudget2019, or email Reach at reach@reach.gov.sg.

They can call Reach's toll-free hotline on 1800-353-5555 from 8.30am to 5.45pm on weekdays, or SMS Reach at 9773-2587.

The Straits Times will be providing live coverage as Mr Heng announces the details in Parliament.

There will be livestreaming of his speech and a live blog on our website, as well as a Budget microsite and updates on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Readers can also sign up for e-mail updates of the proceedings.

In the last Budget, Mr Heng made several announcements including raising goods and services tax (GST) by 2 percentage points. The increased GST will be implemented sometime from 2021 to 2025.

Other measures included enhancements to the Proximity Housing Grant for HDB home buyers who want to live with or near their parents or children, and a one-off "hongbao" of up to $300 from the previous year's bumper Budget surplus.

He also announced an increase in the top marginal Buyer's Stamp Duty from 3 per cent to 4 per cent.

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