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Middle-income family hopes for more help from Budget 2018
Ms Serene Lee, 37, said that despite her husband's five-figure monthly income, a family the size of hers still struggles to make ends meet.
With her three children being of varied ages - one in primary school, one in secondary school and one in a polytechnic - Ms Lee said her part-time salary and her husband's pay have been spread thin.
To add to her list of financial burdens, Ms Lee recently had a heart transplant.
Among other things, she requires expensive immunosuppressants. She has to take a $50 pill every day for the rest of her life.
Even after insurance and financial support, her medication still costs more than $1,000 for six months.
She said: "While it might look from the outside like we have a more-than-comfortable income, the cost of medication, looking after a family of six and other daily costs adds up." They employ a maid and that adds to their monthly expenditure.
There is the estimated $1,800 a semester for her son's polytechnic education and the additional cost her daughter incurs from her co-curricular activity (CCA) of sailing.
Ms Lee said: "It is those of middle income like me who are suffering."
She explained that because her family monthly income exceeds the maximum income under which they would qualify for financial assistance schemes, they usually get little help.
While help for large families is available based on per capita income, a family with a helper will have an additional dependent that does not fall under the headcount.
Ms Lee hopes for announcements in Budget 2018 that could ease the stress on her family.
Ms Lee's Budget wish list includes an additional Edusave allowance for her children, subsidies for larger families and a higher income cap for financial assistance.
Secondary school students get $390 a year for Edusave.
Ms Lee said her daughter's sailing CCA alone costs anything between $300 and $400 a year.
She said: "Specific sports CCAs cost more, and as parents we want to support our kid's interests too, and if the school offers it, then cost should not be a barrier."
Ms Lee is also hoping for more help for her youngest daughter, who has some difficulty keeping up with her classmates in primary school.
Private tuition is an extra cost that could be avoided if younger children could access more help at school, Ms Lee said.
She said: "There are many middle-income families like us who are suffering despite seeming to make enough.
"After deducting Central Provident Fund, bills, medical expenses, education fees... there really is little left."
37歲李小姐的丈夫月薪萬元家裡開銷太大受不了要求政府幫助！馬勞們會感慨嗎？
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发表于 13-2-2018 11:06 AM
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