The 2019 Budget statement will be delivered by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in Parliament on 18 February, and it will be closely watched for several reasons.
2018 Q3 GDP growth slowed to 2.3 per cent and flash estimates for Q4 came in at 2.2 per cent, bringing the full-year GDP growth to 3.3 per cent. A recent poll of economists by the Monetary Authority of Singapore saw them shaving their 2019 forecast to 2.6 per cent. Uncertainties abound from downside risks such as intensifying trade tensions, China's economic slowdown and tightening monetary conditions. On the social front, the rising cost of living weighs on the minds of Singaporeans. Observers also speculate that Budget 2019 will offer an indication as to the timing of the next general elections, which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong floated as possibly being as early as this year.
Join Second Minister for Finance Ms Indranee Rajah in a discussion with IPS Corporate Associates on Budget 2019, and how it will help position Singapore to meet the challenges and uncertainties of tomorrow.