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Qualifying Date for Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package Moved to 17 Aug 2008 to Benefit More Singaporean Babies

Employment practices

The Government has decided to extend the qualifying date for the Baby Bonus and other measures in the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) Package to 17 Aug 2008, the date of Prime Minister Lee's announcement at the National Day Rally. This move is made in response to appeals from expectant mothers and fathers whose babies are due before 1 Jan 2009. While the expectant parents understand that the relevant Government agencies need time to put in place the necessary legislative and administrative changes to implement the new measures and policies, they have requested for the Government to make special provisions for them so that they can also benefit from the enhanced M&P Package.

2. With this extension, parents of babies born on or after 17 Aug 2008 will qualify for the benefits in the enhanced M&P Package, subject to the following:

  • Actual payment of the enhanced Baby Bonus and subsidies will only be made after the necessary legislative and administrative changes are completed;
  • Employers will be encouraged to allow their eligible staff to claim the additional maternity, infant care and childcare leave provisions and extend the enhanced protection to pregnant employees from 17 Aug 2008; if they do so, the Government will pay for its share of the additional leave to be taken. When the necessary legislative and administrative changes are completed, employers will be required by law to provide the relevant leave options to eligible employees;
  • Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR) will still apply to all eligible citizen births from 1 Jan 2008; the enhanced tax reliefs (i.e. Qualifying Child Relief/ Handicapped Child Relief and Working Mother's Child Relief) can be claimed for income earned in 2008.

3. Government co-funding for assisted reproduction technology (ART) treatment will be effected from 17 Aug 2008. These changes will further improve what is already a comprehensive and enhanced M&P Package by including more parents and babies in its coverage.

4. In announcing the change, DPM Wong said: “"he Government wishes to reiterate its commitment to support and assist citizen couples who wish to get married and have children in Singapore. While it wishes to be as inclusive as possible, there is a need to start the new measures at a specific date. In considering the feedback from some expectant parents and moving the qualifying date to the time of announcement on 17 Aug 2008, more couples will now be able to benefit from the enhanced M&P Package. The Government hopes that employers would be able to do their part and support the enhanced leave provisions even though these will only take effect when the laws are amended. The Government aims to do this by October 2008."

Summary Table

5. A summary table showing the various measures in the enhanced M&P Package and the revised qualifying date, where applicable, is attached for easy reference.

Background

6. The enhanced M&P Package was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally on 17 Aug 2008 and unveiled to the media on 19 Aug 2008 by Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng in his capacity as Chairman of the National Population Committee (NPC).

7. Under the enhanced M&P Package, Singaporean couples would be able to claim the higher Parenthood Tax Rebate (PTR) if their children were born on or after 1 Jan 2008. Together with other Singaporean couples whose children were born before 2008, these parents can also claim the enhanced tax reliefs for income earned in 2008. This would result in substantial tax savings for working couples with children as announced by DPM Wong and elaborated by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the media conference on 19 Aug 2008.

8. In terms of the Baby Bonus and other measures in the enhanced M&P Package, such as the extended maternity leave, new infant care leave and additional childcare leave, and the increased infant care and childcare subsidies, the implementation date was originally set at 1 Jan 2009 to enable the relevant legislative and administrative changes to be carried out.