SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a special component to Budget 2025 on Tuesday (Feb 18) called the SG60 Package, in celebration of Singapore’s 60 years of nationhood.
The package contains “goodies” for everyone and appears to be in line with one of the Budget’s key aims Mr Wong stated early in his speech, which is to tackle cost of living pressures.
“2025 marks our 60th year of independence. It has been a remarkable journey, reflecting the grit and resilience of generations of Singaporeans in building our nation,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the SG60 package is meant to recognise the contributions of all Singaporeans and to share the benefits of its progress.
What’s in it for you?
Singaporeans aged 21 and above in 2025 will receive $600 in SG60 Vouchers, and Singaporean seniors aged 60 and above will receive an additional $200, bringing their total to $800.
These vouchers will be distributed from July 2025, with seniors receiving the first tranche. They can be used in all businesses that accept CDC Vouchers, with half being allowed to be spent at participating groceries, and the other half at participating heartland firms and hawkers.
Furthermore, Mr Wong also announced a Personal Income Tax Rebate of 60 per cent for the Year of Assessment 2025 under the SG60 Package. This is subject to a $200 cap, “so that the rebate mostly benefits our middle-income workers,” he added.
Next, he reiterated that all the babies born to Singapore citizens this year will be given a special SG60 Baby Gift, which Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance Indranee Rajah had announced earlier. Ms Rajah said in January that she would provide more details about the special gift package by early March.
Mr Wong also introduced the SG Culture Pass, which is meant to encourage Singaporeans to attend local arts and heritage activities. Singaporeans from the age of 18 and above this year will receive $100 worth of credits, which they can use for activities that include arts and cultural performances, museum exhibitions, and heritage experiences. They will be available from September 2025 and are valid until the end of 2028.
He announced as well that all Active SG members will be getting an Active SG credit top-up of $100.
Also, in honour of the fifth anniversary of Singapore’s Hawker Culture on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, each stall in centres managed by Government and Government-appointed operators will be given rental support of $600. The government is also allocating up to $1 billion over the next 20 to 30 years to upgrade ageing hawker centres and to build new ones.
/TISG