Imperfect but effective eligibility criteria

不完美但有效的标准

谨答复《联合早报·交流站》于7月24日刊登的李国昌读者投函《是时候调整援助分配准则》：

李先生就采用住所年值及组屋屋型，作为消费税补助券计划的资格标准，提供了反馈。

目前的2万1000元住所年值顶限，涵盖了所有组屋、相等数量的公寓和一些价值较低的有地房地产。除了住所年值，我们还把收入和所拥有的房产数量考虑在内。住所年值虽不是衡量财产和家庭支持的完美标准，但只要结合其他标准，我们就能更好地确保援助对象，是那些更需要社会支援的国人。这些标准为政府提供了一种简单的方法，来确定谁有资格获得消费税补助券，而无须公民申请。

在消费税补助券—水电费回扣（GST Voucher-U-Save）方面，我们在分配回扣时，是以组屋屋型作为衡量家庭财富的一种方式。住在小型组屋的家庭，通常没有住在大型组屋的家庭富裕，因此他们可以得到更多的回扣。虽然我们认识到以组屋屋型作为衡量标准并不完美，但它能让政府快速有效地分配回扣。

我们认识到，并不是所有居住在住所年值高于2万1000元顶限的国人都是富裕的，有些人可能会遇到经济困难的情况。这就是为什么政府今年通过“关怀与援助配套”（Care and Support Package）提供了额外的援助，尽量让更多的国人受惠；同时将更多的援助集中在较不富裕的国人。

此外，政府还向所有符合条件的新加坡家庭，提供一次性的100元“同舟共济”水电费补贴。这项补贴涵盖住在所有房地产类型的家庭，以感谢国人在病毒阻断措施期间为新加坡而留在家中。

我们感谢李先生的反馈，并会继续检讨社会支援措施的整体制度，以确保有针对性的援助能惠及最有需要的国人，同时保持制度的简单性。

财政部企业通讯司司长林允谦

Imperfect but effective eligibility criteria

Mr Li Guochang (‘It’s time to adjust aid allocation guidelines’, 24 July) provided his feedback on using Annual Value (AV) of home and HDB flat type as the eligibility criteria for the GST Voucher (GSTV) scheme.

The current AV threshold of $21,000 covers all HDB flats, a good number of condominiums and some lower-value landed properties. In addition to AV, we consider income and the number of properties owned. The AV of one’s home is not a perfect measure of wealth and family support, but by using this in combination with other criteria, we are better able to ensure that assistance is targeted at those who are in greater need of social support.  These proxies provide a simple way for the Government to determine eligibility for the GSTV, without requiring citizens to apply.

For GSTV – U-Save, we use HDB flat type as a way to consider a household’s wealth when distributing the rebates. Households living in smaller HDB flats are generally less well-off than those living in larger flats, and hence they are given more rebates. While we recognise that the use of HDB flat type is not perfect, it allows for the rebates to be distributed quickly and effectively.

We recognise that not all Singaporeans living in homes with AV higher than the $21,000 threshold are well-off, and that some might experience instances of financial difficulty. This is why this year, the Government has provided additional help through the Care and Support Package, benefiting as many citizens as possible, while focusing more help to the less well-off. In addition, a one-off $100 Solidarity Utilities Credit is given to all eligible Singaporean households, across all residential property types, to thank them for staying home for Singapore during the Circuit Breaker period. 

We thank Mr Li for his feedback and will continue to review the overall system of social support measures to ensure that targeted assistance reaches those who need it most, while keeping systems simple.

Lim Yuin Chien

Director (Corporate Communications)

Ministry of Finance