Daily Briefing: Residential vacancy rate remains high; What you need to know about the India-Singapore tax treaty

And here are 3 genius money-saving shopping hacks all Singaporeans must try.

The high vacancy rates are due to the huge supply of new homes and continued muted leasing interest.The overall vacancy rate of private residential properties in Singapore remains high due to a myriad of factors, one of which is the significant number of new completions. Last quarter, there were 348,080 private homes available here, of which 29,197 were unoccupied, translating to a vacancy rate of 8.4 percent, based on data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Rearered more here.

Starting this April, India will hold the right to tax capital gains on its equity shares sold by Singapore residents. The change came via an amendment to Singapore and India’s 20-year old Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) on 30 December 2016. The newest protocol was signed by Mr Lim Thuan Kuan, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India and India’s Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Shri Sushil Chandra in New Delhi. The treaty aims to phase out capital gains tax exemption. Get to know the full story here.

Do you hate how things have become more and more expensive over the years in Singapore? A hundred bucks today most likely cannot get you as much as you could have back in the days when things were less expensive. Plus, it does not help that we've all heard our fair share about the slowing Singapore economy. What matters the most now is that we better ourselves, stay relevant in the work force and spend our money smartly amidst the economic slowdown. Here are three money-saving shopping hacks you should know.