《海峡时报》的“老地方”（The Usual Place）举办了一场关于新加坡2025年预算案的讨论，汇集了政府官员、商界领袖和经济学家的观点。该活动由娜塔莎和黄佳莉主持，小组成员包括总理公署部长英兰妮·拉惹、新加坡工商联合总会代表穆萨·法扎尔和新加坡新跃社科大学教授特西拉。 正如总理黄循财所说，2025年预算案是为了全体新加坡人。黄佳莉认为这是一份“大礼包式预算”，充满了诸如G60消费券、社理会消费券和U-Save水电费回扣等现金转移。然而，她指出，那些未被归类为低收入或弱势群体的年轻人和退休人士可能会感到被忽略。 穆萨·法扎尔表达了商界对预算案的赞赏，尤其是企业所得税（CIT）回扣，这有助于缓解短期成本压力。他强调，预算案具有前瞻性，超过140亿新元被分配用于支持研发、基础设施和未来能源。他希望在外国劳工政策方面，特别是S-Pass税费和合格薪资，以及在放宽外籍人力规则以帮助企业转型方面，能有更多的关注。 特西拉教授强调，预算案有效地延续了之前的预算案，在通货膨胀高企的时期为家庭和工人提供支持。他强调了通过社理会消费券和消费税补助金继续关注缓解低收入家庭的生活成本。对于工人，他赞扬了对技能提升和升级的支持，特别是认识到为兼职学生提供培训津贴的必要性。他质疑是否可以将SG60消费券的资金重新用于为弱势新加坡人设立永久性的CVC消费券计划，从而更好地利用这些资金。他还提出了将学前教育视为公共义务教育的想法，确保所有新加坡人都能在不担心费用的情况下获得基础教育。 英兰妮·拉惹部长将预算案定位为财政资源的战略性配置，重点在于解决生活成本压力、促进经济发展和支持家庭。她解释说，社理会消费券的目标是立即用于购买食品杂货和支付水电费，而U-Save则专门用于水电费。经济通过创新和技术、企业生态系统支持以及基础设施和未来能源投资得到促进。家庭支持建立在之前的预算案之上，包括提高婴儿花红、儿童发展户头金额和育儿假。 对话深入探讨了具体主题，包括解决成本压力。特西拉教授强调，确保家庭拥有能够实现可持续工资增长的工作至关重要。他承认像社理会消费券这样的有针对性的援助在减轻通货膨胀对家庭消费的影响方面是有效的。英兰妮·拉惹部长回应了关于社理会消费券可能推高价格的担忧。她解释说，消费券是在新冠疫情后和乌克兰战争期间实施的，旨在帮助应对不断上涨的食品和水电费，针对的是日常开支。对此，穆萨建议社理会消费券可以帮助我们社区中心的小企业，这些企业确实需要额外的支持和帮助。 讨论还触及了技能提升问题，拉惹部长优先考虑40岁及以上的工人，理由是他们可能需要因为技术和人工智能而转型或适应不断变化的就业环境。她强调了技能创前程计划及其各种组成部分，包括课程、文凭和企业培训中心。 最后，小组成员讨论了长期的财政可持续性，总理强调了经济增长的重要性，并强调劳动力和生产力以解决土地和劳动力限制，以及能源和气候问题。

The Straits Times' "The Usual Place" hosted a discussion on Singapore's Budget 2025, featuring perspectives from government officials, business leaders, and economists. Hosted by Natasha and Claire Huang, the panel included Ms. Indranee Rajah (Minister in the Prime Minister's Office), Mr. Musa Fazal (Singapore Business Federation), and Professor Walter Theseira (Singapore University of Social Sciences). Budget 2025, as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said, is for all Singaporeans. Claire Huang saw it as a "bonanza budget," laden with cash transfers through vouchers and rebates like G60 vouchers, CDC vouchers, and U-Save rebates. However, she noted that young adults and retirees who aren't classified as low-income or vulnerable might feel left out. Musa Fazal expressed the business community's appreciation for the budget, especially the corporate income tax (CIT) rebate, which helps alleviate short-term cost pressures. He emphasized that the budget is forward-looking, with over $14 billion allocated to support R&D, infrastructure, and future energy sources. One area he wished had more emphasis was foreign worker policy, particularly regarding S-pass levies and qualifying salaries, and potential liberalizations of foreign manpower rules to aid businesses undergoing transformation. Professor Theseira emphasized that the budget effectively builds on previous ones, supporting families and workers during a period of high inflation. He highlighted the continued emphasis on mitigating the cost of living through CDC vouchers and GST vouchers for low-income households. For workers, he lauded the support for upskilling and upgrading, especially the recognition of the need for training allowances for part-time students. He questioned whether the SG60 vouchers could have been better used by redirecting the funds toward a permanent CVC voucher scheme for vulnerable Singaporeans. He also posed the idea of treating preschool like public compulsory education, ensuring that all Singaporeans have access to a basic tier without worrying about the cost. Minister Indranee Rajah contextualized the budget as a strategic allocation of financial resources, focusing on tackling cost of living pressures, boosting the economy, and supporting families. She explained that CDC vouchers target immediate grocery and utility expenses, while U-Save is specific to utilities. The economy is boosted through innovation and technology, enterprise ecosystem support, and infrastructure and future energy investments. Family support builds on previous budgets, with enhancements to the baby bonus, CDA amounts, and parental leave. The conversation delved into specific themes, including tackling cost pressures. Professor Theseira stressed the importance of ensuring that families have jobs with sustainable wage growth. He acknowledged the effectiveness of targeted assistance like CDC vouchers in mitigating inflation's impact on household consumption. Minister Indranee Rajah addressed concerns about CDC vouchers potentially driving up prices. She explained that the vouchers were implemented post-COVID and during the Ukraine war to assist with rising food and utility costs, targeting daily expenses. To this, Mr. Musa suggested the role of the CDC vouchers in helping small businesses in our heartland enterprises, that do need additional support and help. The discussion touched on upskilling, with Minister Rajah prioritizing workers age 40 and above, citing their potential need to pivot or adapt to changing job landscapes due to technology and AI. She emphasized the SkillsFuture program and its various components, including courses, diplomas, and company training centers. Lastly, the panel discussed the long-term fiscal sustainability, with Prime Minister highlighting the importance of economic growth, and emphasizing labor and productivity to address land and labor constraints, as well as energy and climate concerns.