Financial Aid for Beneficiaries who are Foreign Nationals or Foreign-based Institutions and Organisations in FY2020
Ministry of FinanceSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Leong Mun Wai’s inquiry regarding whether Budget expenditure items, including social and institutional transfers, were provided to foreign nationals or foreign-based organizations in FY2020. Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong responded that Government spending prioritizes Singaporeans, citing examples such as household rebates and Edusave Grants that primarily benefit the local community. He noted that funds might be disbursed to Singapore-registered foreign companies to protect local interests, such as Jobs Support Scheme payouts intended to encourage the retention of Singaporean workers. The Minister clarified that because the Government does not track the beneficiaries of every individual scheme, they do not have the specific breakdown requested by the MP. He emphasized that the overarching priority of these policies remains enabling Singaporean people and businesses to grow and thrive.
Transcript
29 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Finance (a) whether any funds for Budget expenditure items, such as Social Transfers to Individuals, Transfers to Institutions and Organisations, Special Transfers Excluding Top-ups to Endowment and Trust Funds, as well as expenditures from Endowment and Trust Funds, are given to beneficiaries who are foreign nationals or foreign-based institutions and organisations; and (b) if so, how much was given to them for FY2020, respectively.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Government’s overarching priority is to enable our people and businesses to grow and thrive, and our policies are designed to benefit Singapore and Singaporeans.
This is reflected in our spending, including the various transfers and expenditures from endowment and trust funds. For example, the Government provides transfers, such as service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebates for Singaporean households to support families in managing their household expenses, and the Workfare Income Supplement to uplift lower-wage Singaporeans. Another example is the Edusave Grant that is provided to every school to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, whose benefits are enjoyed by the entire school community, the vast majority of whom are Singaporeans.
In some instances, in order to benefit Singaporeans, we may have to disburse the funds to Singapore-registered foreign companies. In the case of the Jobs Support Scheme, for example, payouts were made to employers in FY2020, including foreign-owned companies located in Singapore, to encourage retention of local workers amid economic uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we do not track the beneficiaries of all our schemes, we do not have the detailed breakdown requested.