Annu Rev Popul Law. 1988;15:105-6.
This Singapore Act does the following, among other things: 1) authorizes the deduction from income taxes of the delivery and hospitalization expenses incurred with respect to the birth of a legitimate fourth child, up to $3000; 2) authorizes a deduction of payments made to a person's or that person's parent's retirement fund, up to $6000; 3) grants a rebate of $20,000 against tax payable to a person who has a third legitimate child, spread over up to five years, with an additional rebate against tax payable of 15% of her income for a married woman electing to be charged in her own name; and 4) sets deductions from taxable income at $750 for the first, second, and third child; and $300 for the fourth and fifth child, if born before 1 August 1973. In addition to these deductions, a married woman electing to be charged in her own name and having achieved certain educational qualifications is authorized to deduct 5% of her earned income for her first child up to $10,000, 10% for her second child up to $10,000, and 15% for her third child up to $10,000. For a fourth child born after 1 January 1987, she may deduct $750 and 15% of her earned income up to $10,000. In a message to Singapore citizens to mark the new year, the Prime Minister of Singapore urged citizens not to use lunar signs to plan the birth of their children. He stated, "Have your babies any year, including the snake year." See International Herald Tribune, 10 February 1989.
