SALE OF HAWKER STALLS (Withdrawal of privilege and priority to sitting tenants who profiteer from GST)

Mr Koo Tsai Kee asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider the recommendation of the Consumers' Association of Singapore to withdraw the privilege and priority of sitting tenants to purchase their hawker stalls if they profiteer from the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.

The Minister for the Environment (Mr Mah Bow Tan): Mr Speaker, Sir, there are some 23,000 stalls in Environment, HDB and JTC hawker centres. Centres operated by the private sector have another 13,000 stalls. These stalls compete with one another and competition keeps prices at an affordable level. Stallholders in Environment, HDB and JTC centres are required to display price tags and sell at the declared prices. Enforcement officers regularly inspect these centres to ensure compliance.

My Ministry supports the view that centres that profiteer on account of GST or other pretext should be excluded from the Sale of Stalls Scheme. If CASE has established that profiteering takes place in a particular hawker centre, it can refer the matter to my Ministry.