Singapore boosts support for households, businesses in 2025 budget
Singapore unveiled a series of support measures for businesses and households in its 2025 national budget, announced on February 18 by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
Singapore (VNA) – Singapore unveiled a series of support measures for businesses and households in its 2025 national budget, announced on February 18 by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
Under the plan, in addition to a 50% corporate income tax rebate for 2025, eligible businesses will also receive a cash grant of 2,000 SGD (1,500 USD) even if they report no profits, provided they were operational and employed at least one local worker in 2024.
The payments will be disbursed automatically from the second quarter of 2025.
To help residents cope with rising costs, each Singaporean household will receive 800 SGD (600 USD) in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, a programme expected to cost the government 1.06 billion SGD this fiscal year.
The budget also prioritises infrastructure investment, including a 5 billion SGD (3.72 billion USD) injection into the Changi Airport Development Fund to expand capacity by over 50% and maintain Singapore’s status as a key global travel and trade hub.
Additionally, Wong announced a 3 billion SGD (2.23 billion USD) boost to the National Productivity Fund and an extra 1 billion SGD (774 million USD) for research and development (R&D).
Notably, the government will explore the feasibility of nuclear energy and take systematic steps to build capacity in the sector.
ꦬ Wong stressed the need for cleaner energy sources to meet growing demand and reduce carbon emissions./.
Singapore’s Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam on February 15 said since 2020, there has been a “very significant” increase in the number of road accidents in the country.
Singaporean Minister of National Development Desmond Lee said on February 17 that 29,000 flats built in 1997 or earlier have been chosen for the Housing Board’s Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and will get structural improvements and upgrades to bathrooms and entrances, among other things.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925–2025), Nikulina, who is also a veteran journalist of Russia’s Sputnik News, emphasised the vital role of mainstream journalism in defending the truth and maintaining public trust.
