“It signals the Government’s ongoing committment to help businesses create a pro-family environment for Singapore and reaffirms the Government’s goal in making Singapore the best place for families and children,” said Mrs Mildred Tan, Co-chair of Business For Families Council (BFC).

Businesses can apply for funding support to help defray costs incurred in infrastructure, traning and business consultancy to make their business more family-friendly. Since introduced in 2007, 30 buinesses have received funding support under the grant.

This scheme was actually enhanced in January 2010 to allow firms to claim up to 70% instead of 50%, of the costs incurred in adopting family-friendly measures for customers.

Car Times human resource manager Agnes Cheng said the local car dealership plans to use the grant to make showrooms safer for children and more comfortable for the elderly, who sometimes accompany their customers.

For more information regarding the grant, please visit Business for Families Grant website.

To determine whether you are eligible for the grant, let’s go through the following checklists:-

• Are you a GST-registered merchant/trader?
• Are you still using Microsoft Excel and NOT using any other proper accounting software for your accounting and book-keeping function?
• Are you pondering over the possible purchase of an accounting software but was put back by its high cost?
• Do you wish that the Singapore government will help you to fund part of your accounting software purchase in order to lighten up your load?

If you answer ‘Yes’ to every one of the question above, you are in luck!!

Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has partnered with each other and spearhead a new government grant called the Accounting Software Assistance Scheme.

This scheme will be valid only from July 1st, 2009 to March 31st, 2012 and it is to encourage businesses to implement accounting software so that SMEs can improve their record keeping practises and GST (Goods & Services Tax) compliances.

This scheme will be helping the SMEs to defray the cost of purchasing and setting up of the accounting software, as well as training on the use of the software.

For more information regarding this scheme, please feel free to contact us. We’ll be able to assist you from the initial consultation to the implementation and the final training and application for the scheme.

You may also go to http://asas.sg for more information.