Debated in Parliament on 10 Sep 2026.
The following replies were provided by the Minister, Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah) for Question No 5 during Question Time at the Sitting of 10 September 2026:
(a) [T]he 80% personal income tax relief cap is intended to make our personal income tax system more progressive. There are currently 13 personal income tax reliefs, and each one serves a worthy objective. Taken together, they may unduly reduce the taxable income for some individuals with high income, and that goes against the progressivity intent. [Please refer to "Refundable Working Mother’s Child Relief Top-up for Middle-income Working Mothers Who Have Reached Personal Income Tax Relief Cap", Official Report, 10 September 2026, Vol 96, Issue 37, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
(b) [A]ll mothers, not just the low-income, but also the middle-income ones and the higher-income ones, will get the $10,000 Baby Gift, the $2,000 credits per child per year, the Child Development Account First Step Grant, the co-matching, the $10 top-up to the Post-Secondary Education Account, as well as the existing benefits like the Medisave Grant for Newborns, of $5,000. [Please refer to "Refundable Working Mother’s Child Relief Top-up for Middle-income Working Mothers Who Have Reached Personal Income Tax Relief Cap", Official Report, 10 September 2026, Vol 96, Issue 37, Oral Answers to Questions section.]
Written statement by Ms Indranee Rajah circulated with leave of the Speaker in accordance with Standing Order No 29(5):
I wish to make the following factual corrections to my replies made at the Sitting of 10 September 2026. My replies should read as follows:
(a) [T]he $80,000 personal income tax relief cap is intended to make our personal income tax system more progressive. There are currently 13 personal income tax reliefs, and each one serves a worthy objective. Taken together, they may unduly reduce the taxable income for some individuals with high income, and that goes against the progressivity intent.
(b) [A]ll mothers, not just the low-income, but also the middle-income ones and the higher-income ones, will get the $10,000 Baby Gift, the $2,000 credits per child per year, the Child Development Account First Step Grant, the co-matching, the $10,000 top-up to the Post-Secondary Education Account, as well as the existing benefits like the Medisave Grant for Newborns, of $5,000.
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