On or about 7 February 2020, the Second Minister for Finance and Education Indranee Rajah said in a radio interview that Budget 2020 will be “comprehensive”, with “assurance and support” to those families and households affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Ms Indranee stated that the Budget 2020 that will be delivered on 18 February 2020 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat, is intended to address present needs while positioning Singapore for the future.
In Budget 2020, another area of interest is the matter of climate change and “sustaining Singapore for the future” which would be about not only keeping the environment green but also improving the country’s fiscal position.
Ms Indranee Rajah emphasised that the local companies require help to build the capability to access new markets and to cope with industry disruption and new technology. As many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) want to better incorporate digital technology, they require guidance and support to do it right.
She said companies can expect “targeted support”. This would mean providing help to companies to transform and take advantage of opportunities as well as supporting workers to acquire the right skills to get jobs. SMEs can look forward to help in scaling up their businesses and training their workers for bigger jobs.
The Minister said Singapore is in a sound financial position and has strong fundamentals to withstand the current situation. She Minister added that companies should take advantage of the economic slowdown to retrain workers and build up in order to seize business opportunities in the region when the upswing comes.
Source: Business Times, 7 February 2020