Written Answer to PQ on Marine Shipyard Foreign Worker Levy Charged Not in Accordance with Law

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1134 OF 2026 FOR THE SITTING ON 4 AUG 2026
QUESTION NO. 1814 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Low Wu Yang Andre

To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower following the Auditor-General's Office's finding that foreign worker levies for marine shipyard firms in January and February 2026 exceeded prescribed rates by $4.82 million (a) what was the total excess before the 1 June 2026 amendment took effect; (b) how many firms were affected; (c) how much has been refunded or offset; and (d) when will adjustments be completed.

Answer:

An excess of $8.3 million in foreign worker levy (FWL) was collected between January to May 2026. This includes the $4.82 million reported by the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) related to levy charges for January and February 2026. We have refunded all the excess levies collected to all 1,018 affected employers either via levy bill offsets or credits to their levy accounts.

2. MOM has completed all necessary rectification measures and strengthened its internal processes.