The finance minister opened his speech by talking about the changing global and domestic landscape and the importance of planning for the long term, while being open to diversity. Weaker demand and U.S.-China trade tensions saw Singapore’s export-reliant economy grow at a slower pace than expected in the fourth quarter.
SINGAPORE (Feb 19): Singapore Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat boosted health-care and military spending, gave tax rebates to citizens and tightened rules on foreign workers ahead of an election that could come as early as this year.
Heng announced a new $8 billion support package for seniors in his budget speech on Monday, as well as measures to help local businesses adopt new technologies. The expansionary fiscal plan will push the overall budget deficit to 0.7% of gross domestic product in the year ending March 2020, from a revised surplus of 0.4% this year.
