In an effort to increase fertility and replenish the country’s population, the Singaporean government is offering substantial incentives to women to bear more children. The government is paying employers up to $20,000 to grant working mothers eight weeks of maternity leave for a third child. Altogether, the Singaporean government will be shelling out at least $260 million for new financial incentives and childcare arrangements to help mothers. Couples bearing a second or third child will benefit from the “Baby Bonus” of a Children Development Account which the government will fund until the child’s sixth birthday, contributing from $500 to $1000 annually to the account. In addition, the government is offering huge tax breaks to working mothers of multiple children, cutting taxes as much as $20,000 to $40,000 for mothers of a third or fourth child. Singapore’s current efforts mark an abrupt change from the country’s former “Stop at Two” policy as the country now mobilizes an effort to increase child-bearing and strengthen Singapore’s population.
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