Measures helpful, but more can be done: parents in ‘sandwiched class’
Mr Eugene Ng with his wife Weiwei and daughter Eleanor. Mr Ng felt more could be done to address the high cost of living in Singapore. Photo: Ernest Chua
With a daughter entering pre-school soon and a second child on the way, primary school teacher Eugene Ng and his wife are feeling the strain from the cost of raising a family.
Hence, efforts to provide more affordable, quality childcare options announced in the Budget yesterday came as welcome news to Mr Ng, 35. Like many middle-income households, Mr Ng and his wife, also a teacher — they have a combined household income of about S$7,000 — have been grappling with rising costs, with no relief from the kind of financial assistance available to lower-income earners.
“We lead a tightly comfortable life with not much leeway. So any financial (support) will be helpful for the family,” said Mr Ng, whose daughter is two and second child is expected in May. Saving S$100 or so on childcare a month would be helpful, he added.
But apart from the Partner Operator scheme for childcare operators — which aims to create more affordable childcare options for parents — Mr Ng felt more could be done to address the high cost of living in Singapore. For example, imported goods are expensive, and rentals for businesses are high, which are ultimately passed on to consumers, he pointed out.
He also suggested that more leeway should be given to parents when it comes to utilising Edusave funds, such as allowing some of the money to be used for textbook purchases.
His sentiments were shared by Madam Siti, 36, an administrative assistant who has five children between the ages of nine and 15. While grateful for the national examination fee waivers, she noted that education costs can be hefty for bigger families. “Having to pay for the textbooks of five school-going children every year, I feel the pinch. Since we support the Government’s idea of having more children, they should at least help us,” said Mdm Siti, who is married to a technician.
Mr Edward Sim, 37, an assistant professor at DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore, who has three children between the ages three and six, welcomed the reduced foreign domestic worker concessionary levy of S$60, which he felt would help families who depend on a domestic helper. MATTHIAS TAY
READ THE FULL BUDGET STATEMENT HERE
Other documents on Budget 2015 available on the Budget 2015 website.
