As a mother of two toddlers and an owner of a shop in a mall, I disagree with the government policy of offering more funding to heartland malls to introduce family-friendly features (“Making malls more family-friendly”; Tuesday).
First, neighbourhood malls are generally run by public-listed companies. In a free-market environment, the consumer’s buying power is a key incentive for businesses to continually improve their offerings and services. Heartland mall operators should be spending their own money, and not public funds, to remain attractive to their core base of consumers.
Besides, why is taxpayer money being used to fund services or infrastructure that the malls should already have?
Second, I doubt the funding will result in lower rents for shop operators. In fact, mall managements may cite upgrading of the premises and increased customer traffic as reasons for raising rents during lease renewal negotiations.
Ultimately, the consumer bears the brunt on two fronts – in the form of taxes for the grants, and in paying more for goods and services when they shop at these malls.
Policies like this may be well-intentioned but may result in economic repercussions down the line.
Christine Yee De Souza (Ms)
* Letter first appeared in ST Forum, 27 Sep.