Dear readers, yes, finally, the government announced that it would increase GST to 9% between 2021 and 2025 as per the Budget Speech delivered by Finance Minister yesterday. While many of us would have already picked up the clues prior to the Budget Speech of an increased GST, I think not many of us would know the exact quantum of GST increase as well as the timeframe of implementation. Hence it is with great relief that we all know that yes GST will increase by 2 percentage points and that the implementation will only start between year 2021 and 2025. So definitely the GST hike means that Singaporeans have to fork out more for the same consumption. To illustrate, if you have a budget of $100 for a nice meal outside, inclusive of the current 7% GST and 10% service charge typical of many restaurants, the total order amount for ......