SINGAPORE: On Thursday afternoon (February 12), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong rolled out a $154.7 billion Budget meant to secure the future amid present uncertainties.
PM Wong spoke on a number of issues pertinent to the National Budget, including AI, the workforce, and Singapore’s economic strategy.
However, what Singaporeans online reacted to the most were announcements concerning goodies and support, a summary of which can be seen below.
This may be because last year’s budget had been a generous one, with PM Wong announcing additional support “as long as it’s needed” due to Singaporeans facing higher costs of living.
For example, last year, S$800 in CDC vouchers were given per household, in contrast to the S$500 voucher announced for 2026. Also, in 2025, there were up to S$760 in U-Save rebates for eligible HDB households, which is significantly higher utility rebate support than the S$570 in 2026. There were also one-off SG60 vouchers of up to S$800 for seniors and S$600 for other adults last year.
Nevertheless, the government is still extending essential assistance to Singaporeans, such as S$500 in ChildLife SG credits and CPF Top-ups, and many netizens expressed gratitude for these goodies.
Some, however, were less than thrilled, with one netizen commenting, “So little.”
Several asked why there seemed to be nothing for them in May, June, and November.
“December is low,” remarked another.
A Facebook user called it a “very disappointing Budget 2026,” while others opined that it was “not an election budget.”
“Your voucher is so big, is it?? A few days finish liao, got 5 mouths to feed in a family horr,” another wrote.
Others seemed disappointed that the CDC voucher would not be given out until January of next year.
“Aiyoh, is there a typing error. Jan 2027 is about a year from now. Not sure whether we are around or not!” wrote one.
“Next year Jan 2027…. Very far far far away,” another chimed in, while one remarked, ” January 2027! That’s a long long wait. Why!”
Ahead of the Budget rollout, some analysts already guessed that this would be the case, that this year’s support measures would be less than what was given in 2025.
A February 6 piece from Reuters titled “Singapore budget may be less generous amid resilient growth” appeared to warn people not to expect too much.
It said that after the additional support given to Singaporeans in 2025, this year the budget is expected to be more restrained, with a focus on “balancing robust growth with longer-term fiscal discipline.” /TISG
Read also: Budget 2026: Analysts expect less support for households amid positive economic outlook
