No. of poor vs No. helped?

The Real Singapore

Oct 27, 2013

I refer to the Insight special report “Poverty: What is the best way to tackle it?” (Straits Times, Oct 26).

105,000 households earn less than $1,500

It states that “There are 105,000 households earning below $1,500 a month.

10% of working households earn $1,644?

According to latest official data, 10 per cent of Singapore’s resident households, comprising an average of 3.5 members and with at least one working person, earn an average of $1,644.

This figure is all the more surprising given that Singapore has one of the world’s highest annual incomes per head, of $65,000.”

ComCare criteria – household income below $1,700 or per capita $550?

According to the article “Handouts for the poor top $100m mark” (Sunday Times, Oct 20), “The jump in short-term help was largely because of slower economic growth and more generous eligibility criteria implemented last year, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Social and Family Development, which oversees ComCare.

The income ceiling for short- and medium-term assistance was raised to $1,700 from $1,500 in April last year. Larger families became eligible too, as the ministry looked at household income divided by the number of people in the family and introduced a per-capita income criterion of up to $550.

“These will ensure that genuinely needy Singaporean families will be assisted if they need help,” it said.”

Discrepancy between ComCare and household income statistics?

After reading the above, are you able to spot the apparent discrepancy between the ComCare and household income statistics?

Only 33,266 received assistance under ComCare?

Since the ComCare criteria is household income below $1,700 or $550 per capita, and there are “105,000 households earning below $1,500 a month” and “10 per cent of Singapore’s resident households – with at least one working person, earning an average of $1,644” – why is it that only 33,266 families and individuals were helped last year under ComCare?

125,797 households meet ComCare criteria?

As there were 1,152,000 resident households in 2012, and 90.8 per cent had at least one working member – does it mean than 10 per cent of working households is about 104,602?

But some of the non-working households – 9.2 per cent or about 105,984 households (of which 6.0 per cent are ‘retiree’ households’) may be in poverty too.

Only a quarter to a third who qualify received assistance?

Hence, the percentage of households getting assistance under ComCare may be only about 32 (using working households data only) to 26 per cent (assuming 20 per cent of non-working households are in poverty) of the total households who meet the ComCare household income criteria.

Why is this so? Only about a quarter to a third of those who meet the criteria received help under ComCare?

The need for an official poverty line?

Perhaps this is the best reason why Singapore needs an official poverty line, like most developed countries.

Few qualify and also not enough?

Even for the relative few who qualify for ComCare – is the assistance enough?

Well, you may like to read Dr Danny Tan Ghee Gay’s letter “Poverty not a clear-cut issue” (Sunday Times, Oct 27) which said “However, the assistance should be more comprehensive and easier to obtain.

For example, another article (“Men with little family support find it tough”) mentioned the sad case of Mr Lee Yong Hong, who receives a cash grant of $300 each month, yet has to seek free food as the sum is inadequate.”

Leong Sze Hian

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Leong
Leong Sze Hian has served as the president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), Hotel Mumbai (associate producer), invited to speak more than 200 times in about 40 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of 2 countries. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional  qualifications.