People naturally do not like to pay taxes. It hurts the pocket.

People naturally do not like to pay taxes. It hurts the pocket.

Yet, they expect the government to DO MORE for the needy, to provide assistance to the lower income group to give them a leg up, to take care of the needs of the elderly, especially the infirmed, to provide not only quality but affordable healthcare and nursing homes, to ensure that Singapore remains competitive and to create good jobs for Singaporeans (which means world class infrastructure and that means spending), and so on.

We have a rapidly ageing population and a shrinking working population. The former means greater government spending and the latter means less revenue collected.

50% of net investment income from GIC and Temasek are already being used for budget spending.

Instead of being upset that taxes will be raised, one should ask how those tax dollars will be spent and how the tax dollars will return to Singaporeans in benefits and whether benefits are worthy of the 'pain' you make in paying a little more in taxes.

A government that is squeezed of funds will be limited in what they can do for the country.

In many countries, governments spend first and then look for money. The result is a huge debt burden for future generations.

The Singapore Government's approach to spending is different.
They first look for the money they need for spending and set that money aside for future purposes and then they spend from that money that has been set aside.

This ensures that future generations of Singaporeans are not burdened by a debt incurred by previous generations.

That is why schemes like the Pioneer Generation Package worth $8 billion and the Silver Support Scheme pose no financial burden to Singaporeans, and no matter how the economy performs, the Government will be able to honour its promises in these schemes to senior Singaporeans - because they have already found the money for these schemes.

We have a prudent and responsible government.

So when the government says it will raise taxes, instead of getting upset, we should look at the reason taxes will be raised, how the money will be spent. Ultimately, it's about keeping Singapore successful and giving Singaporeans a bright future.