PIP: Singapore's first 5-year national family planning program saw a dramatic drop in all fertility rates including a drop in the crude birthrate from 28.6 per thousand in 1966 to 22.1 in 1970. However, the 1970 figure represents a slight increase over the preceding year, and the government, in its new plan begun in 1972, has undertaken several measures to significantly reduce fertility among younger families and "hard-core" risisters. The aim is a crude birthrate of 18/1000 by 1975. In addition to widespread publicity and motivational campaigns, tough new measures were introduced to discourage couples from having more than 2 children. These include: 1) reduction of future income tax relief from 5 to the first 3 children: 2) reduction in paid maternity leave from 3 to 2 confinements; 3) lower priority of allocation of government apartments to families of 3 or more children; and 4) increase in accouchement fees in government hospitals. The measures are largely regressive in nature, affecting lower income families who would feel the economic pinch the most. Some politicians have considered the measures too drastic.