Funds Disbursed To Help Singaporeans Earning Less Than $1,500

Date: 15 October 2012

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance: 

How much the Government has given, in terms of Government financial transfers, to Singaporeans earning less than $1,500 per month for the years of 2010, 2011 and year-to-date of 2012 respectively.

Reply by DPM and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam:

It is meaningful to look at Government financial transfers to Singaporeans on a household basis rather than on an individual basis, as many transfers are given either on a household basis or to individuals based on their household’s characteristics.

Average annual government transfers to citizen households on a per capita basis - ie including dependents and those who are not working - in the 2nd lowest income decile was $1,737 in 2010 and $2,148 in 2011.

Those in the lowest decile would have on average received annual transfers of $2,549 in 2010 and $2,923 in 2011 on a per capita basis.

We are unable to provide the same transfers information for 2012 (year-to-date) at the moment, as the composition of households in each decile based on 2012 income is not known, and the detailed data on disbursement of transfers is also not yet available.