WHEN the Government gave landlords a property tax rebate in 2003, many did not pass on the savings by reducing the rent for tenants, a post-Budget forum heard last night.

With the provision in this year's Budget of a 40 per cent property tax rebate, what assurance do tenants have that landlords will do so this time, asked optometrist Christopher Tan.

Mr Tan, who rents a shop at The Adelphi shopping centre, raised the question at the forum, a day after Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam unveiled a $20.5 billion Budget to help Singaporeans keep jobs and ensure that viable companies can stay afloat in a downturn that is set to be deep and long.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.