from straitstimes.com:
Budget 2022 reflects Singapore's ethos of a shared compact in building a better future: Lawrence Wong
SINGAPORE - Budget 2022 is not just about dollars and cents, but also encapsulates the Singapore spirit, both in planning for the future and not leaving anyone behind.
Rounding up the three-day debate on the Budget statement, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong told Parliament on Wednesday (March 2) that the Government's financial plans reflect as well the trust it has among people, as he pledged to do what is in the best interest of all Singaporeans.
Mr Wong, who
gave his first Budget statement as Finance Minister on Feb 18, said the Government discusses and debates the "design of policy parameters or schemes in monetary terms" in every Budget .
"But the Budget is much more than that. It reflects something deeper: our ethos and our values. It's an expression of our shared compact to tackle our challenges together, to never stop thinking of tomorrow, and to never cease building a better Singapore," said Mr Wong.
The Budget is also about the conviction of Singaporeans to build a better society for all. The minister revealed that at engagements on the weekend after the Budget announcement, he came across an individual who told him he was happy to pay more taxes, as "it is the right thing to do".
And at a dialogue he attended, one of the participants volunteered that she did not need the money from the Assurance Package, which is meant to help cushion the increase in the goods and services tax (GST), and asked if she could donate her portion.
Mr Wong said he was cheered by this, and that an online portal would be set up in "the coming months" to allow Singaporeans to do so.
The Budget and its many announcements all boil down to trust - that between the Government and its people, that people have in one another, and across generations, he said.
Such trust is fragile and precious, taking effort and time to build up, but quickly destroyed, he stressed.
Mr Wong said that in his Budget statement, he set out "plainly" the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Singapore.
He also explained the need to move on difficult measures like the GST increase. While this may not be a popular thing for him to do, especially in his first Budget as Finance Minister, Mr Wong said he had a responsibility to do what was right and in the best interests of all Singaporeans, instead of what was "politically expedient now".
"I am convinced that the measures in the Budget are necessary and will put us in a stronger position - to strengthen the self-reinforcing system of trust we have now and to ensure that every citizen contributes their fair share to building our common enterprise, which is Singapore," he said.
Mr Wong called on MPs to always work on strengthening the trust in Singapore's institutions, and in each other, no matter their views on the Budget, or the differences they may have on policy issues.
"That means debating the issues based on facts and not biased soundbites or worse, half-truths and lies," he said.
"It means being honest and upfront with Singaporeans about what we need to do together; not sugarcoating realities or pretending that there are quick and painless remedies available."