Singapore's Budget 2025 focuses on supporting families with preschool fee reductions and enhanced housing schemes for lower-income families. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced measures to ease the financial burden of childcare and provide greater access to home ownership for vulnerable families.
Parents in Singapore will receive increased financial assistance with preschool fees as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced measures during his Budget speech on Tuesday (February 18). The monthly childcare fees at anchor operator preschools will be capped at S$610, while those at partner operator preschools will not exceed S$650. These caps represent a decrease from S$640 and S$680 respectively, marking the second consecutive year that subsidies have been lowered.According to Mr.
Wong, who also serves as the finance minister, with the implemented subsidies, a dual-income family will pay approximately S$300 per child, with lower- and middle-income families paying even less. The government remains committed to supporting lower-income and vulnerable families, aiming to empower them to achieve stability, self-reliance, and mobility. To further aid these families in achieving home ownership, the government is enhancing the Fresh Start Housing Scheme. Second-timer families with children residing in public rental flats will receive S$75,000 in grants to purchase a new standard two-room Flexi or standard three-room flat with a shorter lease. This represents an increase from the current S$50,000 grant available under the scheme, which was launched in 2016. First-timer families with children living in public rental flats, or those who have not previously benefited from housing subsidies, will now be eligible to purchase shorter-lease subsidized flats through the same scheme. Mr. Wong acknowledged that these families often face greater challenges in life, such as managing medical issues within the family or raising children as single parents. He explained that even with existing housing subsidies for first-time homebuyers, these families may struggle to purchase a flat with a full 99-year lease
Budget 2025 Preschool Fees Housing Subsidies Singapore Government Lower-Income Families
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