In response to a TODAY reader who questioned why he had to pay S$40 for a certified-true copy of a death certificate, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that the fee is to cover the costs of providing the service. It added that the original copy is provided without charge and those who cannot afford the S$40 charge can appeal for a waiver.

ICA’s reply prompted many TODAY readers to chime in on the issue, with most agreeing with its policy to charge for the service. Some suggested that the fee could be higher while others argued that S$40 was excessive.

It’s fair as the original is free and one only need to pay for a copy. MOHD NORHELMY

It is an individual’s responsibility to keep it properly. Nothing wrong to charge for the certified-true copy. Will a person learn a lesson if the fee is only S$5? Printing and sending the copy means unnecessary workload for the staff. If it is free of charge, many people will ask for more copies. JEREMY PNG

The fee is justified. It is quite an important document and no one should be reckless or careless enough to misplace it. SHAMIR JAFFAR

Charge in increments — S$20 for first time loss, $30 for third time and so on. LION LOW

And if the person has difficulty paying the S$40, I'm sure ICA will try to waive it. ED SIM

ICA is not a safe deposit box to hold documents and safe keep on our behalf. Just pay if you need a copy and have lost the original. If the price is too low, ICA will be very busy issuing copies of such certificates. If the fee is only S$5 or S$10, many will lose it again. WONG MEI LIN

Absolutely reasonable, it's called deterrent pricing. This makes people keep their documents properly. When the replacement cost of an identity card was low, the number of ICs lost was high. Now, the first replacement is S$100 and subsequent replacement is S$300. Suddenly there are fewer losses, even though you need your IC for many important transactions. LAWRENCE NG

It is fair to charge for a certified-true copy, but maybe a fee of S$10 or S$20 is fairer than S$40. PENG T TAY

Peng T Tay It also serves as a deterrent factor I suppose. When you think about it, S$40 is the cost of about eight plates of good Hokkien noodles (sometimes even just six). And the really poor can also apply for exemption. So it is hardly excessive. CHANG FONG CHUA

Chang Fong Chua, if it serves as a deterrent factor, why stop at S$40? Charge S$100 or S$1,000 since going by your deterrent reasoning, the higher the fine, the more the problem will go away? After all, S$100 is just the cost of two dresses, or S$1,000 is one overseas holiday less but it will "teach a lesson in deterrence". TERRIE TAN

S$20 is a fair price to pay. S$40 is too much. CHRISTOPHER TAN

Nothing is free, but whether ICA should charge S$40 is questionable. You can buy 10 meals for the average Singaporean with that. DANNY NG

It’s such an important document. How does one lose it? When everything is free, people have less care about these things. The fee is justified. SYLVIA KONG

Sylvia Kong - why not make it S$1,000 then? GOPI GOPAL PATHI

We are in a digital age. So we don't need a hard copy right? We have SingPass and can go online to retrieve it right? Even if there is a need to pay, doing so online shouldn’t cost S$40. NIK TAN

I think that ICA would have tried to keep the fee as affordable, as low as possible. KEVIN TAN

So always photocopy the original, because you will need it. ELIZABETH CORNELIUS BOYD

A death certificate is something sensitive and private to a family, yet ICA charges for a copy. It’s all about money. No empathy at all. WILBER YIP

Wilber Yip, then don’t lose it. LOUIS LING

These comments were first posted on TODAY’s Facebook page. They have been edited for clarity, accuracy and length.