HAWKER STALL LICENCE FEES

Mr N. Govindasamy asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the cost of a licence for a stall in public markets with water and light supplies; (b) what is the fee for (i) a day licence; and (ii) a night licence for a pitched-hawker stall in the city area such as at Orchard Road or Albert Street; and what is the fee for corresponding licences in the rural areas; and (c) if the same rate of licence fee is charged for any pitched-hawker stall irrespective of its location, whether he will consider reducing licence fees for such stalls in rural areas where the average daily takings of hawkers are very much less than those of their counterparts in the city area.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, the licence fees for stalls in public markets range from $10 to $60 in a Class A market, and from $10 to $40 in a Class B market, depending on the article of sale. The fees are detailed in the Third Schedule of the Environmental Public Health (Markets) Regulations, 1959, and the classification of markets into A and B classes are listed in the Second Schedule of the same Regulations. The licence fees for street pitch hawkers are uniform throughout the Republic, irrespective of whether the pitch is in the city or rural areas.

All licences for day pitches cost $10, except for those for meat (that is, pork, beef and mutton) and poultry, which cost $30 and $20 respectively. A poultry hawker's licence permits the hawker to conduct business the whole day, while the sale of meat is restricted from 6.00 a.m, to 4.00 p.m. only

All licences for night pitches are $20 per month, except meat and poultry in respect of which no night licences as such are issued. The fees are detailed in the Schedule to the Environmental Public Health (Hawkers) Regulations, 1969.

All public markets are provided with water and electricity. Water is also available to all cooked food street pitch hawkers, who number more than ten and conduct business at specified hawker sites.

Prior to the introduction of the new rates of fees for markets and hawkers, there existed a series of by-laws dating from 1909 onwards, some of which set out fees that were divided and subdivided into various categories. To begin with, there were hitherto five classes of markets, three in the city area (Classes A, B and C), and two in the rural area (Classes A and B). There were different rates of fees for each of the five classes of markets, and in each class there were up to 37 categories of articles of sale with each category being charged a different rate of fee. Further, even within each category, different rates were charged, depending upon the size of the stall or pitch in the particular market. In this respect there were no less than 20 different sizes of stalls and pitches in the various markets.

Mr Speaker, Sir, all these worked out to something like 3,700 different rates of fees which had to be collected by the Hawkers Department. To further complicate matters, at least three markets of the same class in the city area charged different rates of fees. In addition, there were also different fees for:

(a) street hawker pitches which varied from one rural area to another, the city having a standard rate;

(b) hawkers' shelters which varied from site to site:

(c) stallholders occupying vacant lands;

(d) itinerant hawkers;

(e) private markets;

(f) pasar malam hawkers; and

(g) wall showcase hawkers.

This has led to considerable administrative and accounting difficulties and, at times, much confusion. The new regulations which came into force on the 1st January, 1970, reduced the five classes of markets to two, and revised and standardised licence fees for stall-holders in markets and for the various categories of hawkers which have remained unchanged for over 20 years.

With the integration of the City Council into the Rural Board in 1963, it was necessary to standardise the various rates prevailing in the city and rural areas and also to reduce the numerous categories and classifications. In general, the fees for hawkers have not been raised, except for itinerant and wall-showcase hawkers whose fees have been brought into line with the rates payable by the street pitch hawkers. The increase of fees for market stallholders is marginal.

In a small and compact city state such as ours, it is not unreasonable to have uniform rates of fees for hawkers within the city area or without. For the reasons I have mentioned and the fact that the new fees have only just been introduced, I am not inclined to consider reverting to the previous practice of having separate rates of fees for hawkers conducting business in different parts of the island. In any case, Mr Speaker, Sir, what is the yardstick to gauge the income of hawkers, short of standing beside them and keeping watch? If a foolproof method exists, I am sure the Comptroller of Income Tax will be most interested.

Mr N. Govindasamy (Telok Blangah): Mr Speaker, Sir, as we still have different classes of markets in Singapore, as outlined by the Minister just now, is it not possible also to have different types of hawker pitches, so that the rate for a hawker pitch in Orchard Road or Albert Street will have to be more than that for a hawker pitch in the rural areas where the hawkers do not earn as much?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Member for Telok Blangah could suggest a yardstick by which we could differentiate between hawkers plying in Albert Street and those plying in, say, Kampong Heap Guan San in Telok Blangah, then I shall be very interested. And perhaps the Comptroller of Income Tax will also be very interested. Unless we can find such a yardstick, I am afraid we have to stick to our present policy of adopting uniform rates.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, in that case, I will be grateful if the Minister can enlighten the House on the yardstick used to differentiate between the various classes of markets.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, as far as markets are concerned, formerly there were five classes and we have now reduced them to two. They have been classified on the basis of various factors, one of which is the type of building that houses the stallholders, and the other the facilities provided.

Mr N. Govindasamy: Sir, can the Minister not use the same yardstick for hawkers plying in the city area and those plying outside the city area? And can he also say whether a hawker in Orchard Road earns just as much as a hawker in the rural area?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, as I said, what is the yardstick by which you assess how much a hawker earns? Has the Member for Telok Blangah some ideas and can he tell me how we can have a yardstick?

Mr N. Govindasamy: It is easy.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: He suggested having a division of hawkers, with separate rates of licence fees for the rural areas and the city areas. Does he consider Bukit Panjang town a city area or a rural area, or Changi Village a city area or a rural area?

Mr Sim Boon Woo (Changi): A rural area.