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Give Silver Support payouts monthly instead of quarterly: PAP SG

SINGAPORE — Payouts for the Silver Support Scheme should be monthly instead of quarterly, as some senior citizens may need the income to supplement their basic monthly needs, the People’s Action Party Seniors Group (PAP SG) has suggested.

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TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — Payouts for the Silver Support Scheme should be monthly instead of quarterly, as some senior citizens may need the income to supplement their basic monthly needs, the People’s Action Party Seniors Group (PAP SG) has suggested.

Releasing a statement welcoming the Budget announcements, PAP SG also said the scheme should be made simple, such as having payouts made directly into bank accounts, such as for Goods and Services Tax Vouchers.

Announced on Monday, the Silver Support Scheme will see eligible Sing­aporeans aged 65 and above receiving quarterly payouts from the first quarter of next year.

The scheme aims to support the bottom 20 per cent of elderly Singaporeans, with a smaller degree of support extended to cover up to 30 per cent of seniors. Eligible seniors will receive between S$300 and S$750 every three months. The average recipient will get S$600 every quarter.

Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, who is chairman of PAP SG, said in the statement that the Government should be flexible in determining eligibility for the scheme, noting that many seniors are asset-rich but cash-poor.

The group also welcomed the enhanced training subsidies for workers above 40 years old for courses funded by the Ministry of Education- and Workforce Development Agency, which will make training cheaper and more accessible to older Singaporeans. “The agencies should also consider waiving the 10 per cent fee for individual-directed learning in cases of financial difficulty,” Madam Halimah suggested.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) said by raising income tax rates for the top 5 per cent and setting up the Silver Support Scheme, the Budget this year has shifted the Government to a “less extreme elitist position”.

But while measures to aid the poor and weak are welcome, Singapore is still far from a fair and sustainable system, the party said in a press release.

The opposition party added that the shift in the Government’s policies have come about not because of a change in the PAP ideology, but because of electoral pressure.

“In the meantime, the ruling party continues to ignore the critical issues such as minimum wage, universal healthcare and retention of our CPF savings,” said the SDP.

It added that for the next General Election, which is due by January 2017, it plans to campaign on policies which include raising taxes on the top 1 per cent earners here, to pay for financial assistance for the underprivileged.

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