Singapore: Increase in foreign worker levy from 2012
Description
On 21 February 2011, the government of Singapore published the details for announced changes to its foreign workers levy schedule.
According to the released schedules, monthly levies on workers depending on occupation are set to rise semi-anually until July 2013. Among the changes are:
- The average monthly levy per S Pass holder shall increase by $240. The tier for benificial levy treatment shall be halved.
- The average monthly levy for construction workers shall rise by $320. Also a skill-dependent levy scheme shall be introduced in July 2011.
- The averagy monthly levy for service sector workers shall increase by $260 and a tightening of beneficial levy tiers is intended.
- Employees in the manufacturing sector will see an average increase in their monthly fee by $130. Also, levy tiers shall be tightened.
- Companies with a higher foreign workforce ration shall in general pay higher average levies per individual foreign worker.
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | |
| Was such evidence identified? | |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? |
Date Discovered:
Implemented: Yes
Date of inception: 1 Jan 2012
GTA Evaluation: Amber
Source:
Ministry of Manpower. (2011). Foreign Worker Levy Changes. Available at http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?listid=349
Government Response:
- 731 reads
