Singapore’s ministers will receive progressive salary increases, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has announced.
The entry-level ministerial salary benchmark will rise to S$1.8 million (US$1.4 million) from S$1.1 million, while the prime minister’s pay benchmark will increase to S$3.6 million from S$2.2 million, in line with recommendations made by an independent committee.
Wong said during a ministerial statement in parliament on Tuesday that he would donate the increase in his salary to “suitable good causes” but did not expect other political office holders to follow suit.
As prime minister, he said he held the “ultimate responsibility” for the salary framework. “So I want to be clear about how I will personally handle the increase and why I am taking these changes forward, because I believe they are in Singapore’s interests.”
The review was conducted by an eight-member committee formed in January, after a deferment amid geopolitical uncertainty arising from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The review, which is held once every five years, was initially set for 2023.
Wong said the government had accepted the committee’s recommendations, but it did not intend to implement them all at once.