Building for the future - from the ground up

SINGAPORE got the expansionary Budget it needed with big-ticket items aimed at driving domestic spending in areas like social services, health and infrastructure.

This makes sense given global headwinds in trade mean domestic consumption will be Singapore's economic back-stop over the short-term.

But pleasingly, the Budget also shone a light on SMEs and their importance to the Republic in building a more internationally connected economy.

With more than 220,000 SMEs in Singapore, this Budget spoke directly to the heart of the …