National Day Rally 2013 – key points 1) Edusave for all students Government will extend Edusave accounts and contributions to all students of school-going age, whether they attend madrasahs, study abroad or are home schooled. Currently, only students in national schools get the Edusave accounts and contributions. 2) More support for SMEs Mr Lee acknowledged the difficulties faced by SMEs, especially when it came to manpower. However, it needs to control foreign worker numbers, otherwise it will lead to serious consequences. There are also many schemes available such as the 3-year Transition Support Package, costing S$5.3 billion to help businesses reduce costs and raise productivity,but SMEs may not know about them. 3) Pre-school education Mr Lee says the government has made major investments in pre-school education last year. Low-income families now enjoy more subsidies so that their children can receive good pre-school education. 20,000 childcare spaces will be added over the next five years. 4) Extention of Special Housing Grant (SHG) The Special Housing Grant (SHG) will be extended from the current 2- and 3-room to 4-room flats. Middle-income households can now also qualify for the grant. Mr Lee said a middle-income household can get up to $20,000 more if they buy a 4-room flat. 5) Improved healthcare financing Mr Lee said the government will remove the age floor for the Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) to cover younger Singaporeans. He also announced that MediShield will be revamped to become MediShield Life. MediShield Life will be universal and cover all Singaporeans for life, including those above 90 years old and those with pre-existing illnesses. There will be no more opting out. Patients will pay less out-of-pocket, and as a result, premiums will be higher. The government will subsidise MediShield Life premiums for those who cannot afford them. 6) New complex at Changi Airport, Shifting Paya Lebar Airbase for land, and moving container ports at Tanjong Pagar to Tuas
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:41:01 +0000