Question No 512 in Notice paper No. 28 of
2008
Name and Constituency of Member of
Parliament
Mr Seah Kian Peng, MP for
Marine Parade GRC
Question
To ask the Minister
for Trade and Industry (a) given that the CPI for 2007 was 2.1%,
but showing significant increases in the last few months, what is
the projected CPI for 2008; and (b) in light of the recent turmoil
in the equity markets and the possible recession in the USA, what
is the latest projected growth rate for Singapore for
2008.
Answer
Mr Speaker Sir,
the
revised CPI and GDP forecasts for 2008 were released by my
ministry yesterday. The Minister for Finance will also cover these two
issues in his budget speech
later.
Based on MAS’ latest projection,
the revised CPI forecast range for 2008 is 4.5-5.5%. This
latest forecast takes into account the sustained increases in
global energy and food prices in recent months, and the stronger
pass-through of higher global energy and food prices to domestic
retail prices.
The current GDP forecast range
for 2008 is 4.0-6.0%. The lower growth forecast reflects the higher
downside risks stemming from a US economic slowdown.Compared to
three months ago, there is broad consensus now that the US economy
is entering a slowdown. The key uncertainty is over the length and
severity of this slowdown.This will influence how the rest of the
world, including Singapore, will be affected.
We will continue to monitor the
situation closely and update the growth forecast where
necessary.