A few themes emerge as we think about the budget.
As Singapore’s Finance Minister Lawrence Wong prepares to present his first budget on Feb 18, the economy is in much better shape than a year ago. Nevertheless, preparing the budget remains a demanding task. Judgements have to be made on revenues and the potential demands on spending in the midst of great uncertainty over how the pandemic will impact the economy and society.
At the same time, there is an intensifying urgency to tackle structural challenges such as how emerging new technologies could affect workers and businesses, rising inequality, climate change and a troubled global environment.
