Ahead of the Budget 2020 scheduled for February next year, the government has invited the public to offer their views and suggestions. Booths and kiosks in more than 20 locations have been set up to for this purpose.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF), government feedback unit Reach and the People’s Association (PA) stated that individuals, households and businesses are welcome to provide feedback on topics such as business growth, training and employment, support for families, and support for seniors. Feedback can also be given in person.
Reach will have Listening Points booths for Singaporeans to give feedback. The MOF is also partnering with PA and grassroots organisations in the Ask Kopi Kakis initiative to reach out to Singaporeans at 25 locations from 8 December 2019 to 5 January 2020.
The public can also provide views and suggestions through kiosks set up by grassroots volunteers. 25 Ask Kopi Kakis kiosks will be set up by PA at all community centres to provide residents with more information about government policies and schemes.
There will also be a Pre-Budget 2020 Dialogue on 3 December 2019 which will be open to about 120 members of the public chaired by Ms Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Education.
The public have been invited to give their feedback on:
- security and external relations in light of terrorism and cyber warfare
- business growth amid current economic uncertainties
- internationalisation efforts in industries in light of US-China trade tensions
- training and employment for addressing issues faced by both employers and workers
- improving existing government schemes such as Proximity Housing Grant and the Married Child Priority Scheme, as well as tax reliefs for topping up the Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts of family members, and
- support for senior citizens as the current population is ageing.
The public can also provide views and suggestions at the Reach Budget 2020 microsite. Outside of the broader themes, Singapore invites its citizens to share its views on how address future challenges faced by the country.
Source: The Business Times, 2 December 2019