Significant Singapore News

[teddybear]

Repost below here for archive & for the benefits of all who bother to check the difference and know the difference, that Singapore 7% GST result in paying MUCH MORE consumption TAXES than the 20% VAT in UK for most of the middle-income families!!!

Of course lah, even if VAT increases to 40%, the impact on inflation of middle-income families in UK is still so much negligible compared to Singapore raising GST by even 1% !!!

First of all, Singapore GST didn't have any exemption for all necessities which constitue majority of the basic living costs if not all. People in western world can avoid the luxury items if they don't have any money or poor. However, all those neccessities items like healthcare, medication, basic foods and clothing and children goods are all exempted from VAT. Of course, the inflation due to vat is insignificant to them if they don't buy luxury items.

minority,
So you can't come up with better rebuttal?
Oh gosh!
Hopeless, that is what you should be called!

Singapore cut top income tax rates from 33% to 20%, and corporate tax rates from 30% to 17%, but raised GST from 0 to 7%, so who paid for the income tax SAVINGS saved by the RICH? Can't be the rich right?

GST collect taxes from everybody, now the babies, the retirees, the sick, the poor, the middle-income, the low middle-incomers (of which >80% of Singaporeans are in these categories) have to pay GST to make for the tax savings by the RICH!
And who are the RICH and the HIGH-INCOME earners who got tax cuts and huge tax savings?????

But obvious you can't reasonably rebutt the facts I raised isn't it?

[minority]

Repost below here for archive & for the benefits of all who bother to check the difference and know the difference, that Singapore 7% GST result in paying MUCH MORE consumption TAXES than the 20% VAT in UK for most of the middle-income families!!!

Of course lah, even if VAT increases to 40%, the impact on inflation of middle-income families in UK is still so much negligible compared to Singapore raising GST by even 1% !!!

TALK COCK!!! GST IMPACT THE RICH LIKE YOU! THE LOW INCOME HAVE GST REBATE! AND POLY CLINIC DO NOT HAVE GST!!!!! ONLY PEOPLE LIKE YOU SAY 160K IS MIDDLE INCOME BUY BIG HOUSE BUY BIG CAR KPKB GST!!! COZ YOU ARE RICH!!!! SO DONT TALK COCK

[teddybear]

minority,
As expected, more LIES from you again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See my previous post on concrete example I posted on how the RICH and TOP INCOME EARNERS save so much taxes after GST implemented!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To TOP INCOME EARNERs, their INCOME TAX CUT by 13% is as good as 13% PAY RISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about the following situation that happened in Singapore:

Rich men and high-income earners are getting better deal with below policies:
1) Income tax reduced from 33% to 20% and corporate tax reduced from 30% to 17%
2) Estate duties abolished
3) GST implemented and increased to 7% to make up for the short-falls due to (1) & (2).

Now, assuming a high-income earners (or businessmen) earning $10m a year.

Because of (1) above, he saved $1.3 MILLIONs a year in income taxes.

Because of (2), his wealth will not be taxed when he passed on to his children (contrary to what our minister saying that the way forward is to tax "wealth", and yet they removed the very grandfather scheme, i.e. estate duty, that really tax wealth!).

Now, people will say, rich people pay more GSTs wah. Well, they earn $10m a year, but there is a limit to what they can consume. So, most likely they only spend $1m a year on family expenses (say they do so before GST of 7% implemented), and after 7% GST they pay GST of $70k.

Wow, because of (1) & (3), the RICH have a net savings of $1.23 MILLIONs in taxes!
Oh my, I have not even mentioned that they will not even spend all $1m in Singapore, so the GST they pay is even less!

----------------------------
Next, we compare to the middle-income earner, say earning $100k a year.

Because of (1), they probably save 1% in tax or $1k a year.

They don't benefit from (2).

Now, with 7% GST, how much they pay in taxes for GST? Most middle income earners spent most of their money on living, most likely about $70k a year on their family expenses (say before GST implemented). After GST implemented, they will need to pay GST taxes of $4900 a year.

Wow! The poor middle income earners are now slapped with additional taxes of $3900 a year!

So, as we see, over the past few years, the tax changes actually favoured the rich and made them save more taxes vs the poor middle income earners who are made to pay more taxes!

Did the middle income earners earning $100k a year get back rebates to offset the additional taxes they paid?
If they do, then who is paying for the drop in income taxes of the rich?????

These short-fall in government tax revenue don't drop from the sky right? As far as we know, it has been more than made up by GST collections! Who pay more taxes than? Well, everybody, including the babies, the poor, the sick, the disabled, the retirees etc who don't even earn an income (not to mention the lower middle-income and middle income group)!

TALK COCK!!! GST IMPACT THE RICH LIKE YOU! THE LOW INCOME HAVE GST REBATE! AND POLY CLINIC DO NOT HAVE GST!!!!! ONLY PEOPLE LIKE YOU SAY 160K IS MIDDLE INCOME BUY BIG HOUSE BUY BIG CAR KPKB GST!!! COZ YOU ARE RICH!!!! SO DONT TALK COCK

[teddybear]

minority,
How do you define as "doing a good job"?

Over the past 15 years, the price of basic necessities have gone up by more than 100%, or average 6.7% per year.................

However, did the average folks (less the top earners, who are getting more and more of the share of GDP into their pay) get a pay rise of at least 6.7% per year?

Now, we were told that property prices rise should be inline with pay rise........
Why they didn't ensure basic necessities price rise is inline with the folks' pay rise?????

To me, and to all others who understand economics, increasing the GDP or average per capital income is useless when the average folks are getting less and less of the share of the capital income (because the increase have all been pocketed by the bosses and the rich)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A very good example is: Average folks will only get 3 Months bonus when they performed very well, but the Ministers will get 14.5 Months bonus! Come on, this is really OUT OF REALITY bonuses!

This is not when they increase GST to increase the costs of livings of the average folks (where many had voted for them)!
So, is increasing GST considered to be "doing a good job"?????
So, many of these people voted for the PAP Ministers to increase GST for them??????????????
I really wonder how many of these people voted for the Ministers to increase GST for them?????????????????????

So the PAP Minister said: "Increase GST to help the poor"!
Now, can we expect the PAP Minister to increase the GST to help the poor after the coming General Election?????
Or they will implement some other "wealth taxes" (that I heard from coffee shop talk)?????????
"Wealth taxes" will be collected from anybody who has a property and earns more than $30k a year?

minority,
From what I understand, you already said most Singaporeans are "rich" isn't it????? Is that the PAP stand?????
So can we expect any NEW "wealth taxes" to hit MOST Singaporeans????

160K is per year income is middle income than I say pay the PM his pay and the minsters their pay! they made Singaporean the richest people in the world! coz our Middle income earn 160K a year! So Good life higher than US middle income! so base on your 160K per person a couple will make 320K per year! so per capital income we are the highest in the world!

The government did a great job. deserve every cent they are being paid!!!!

[teddybear]

Not sure why they always say Singapore's cost of living is high because Singaporeans want better and more comfortable lives?

It is as though GST never play its part in causing the large increase in costs of living??? Remember the multiplier effect? 7% after 3 hands and rounding off become >50% increase!!!

And they still refuse to admit that REITs (many owned by GLCs), with their ever increasing and jacking up of commercial property rentals, are 1 of the main contributors of large inflation and higher costs of living?
Why we never see COOLING MEASURES for commercial properties and REITs in particular?????

They keep saying NTUC Fairprice house brands keep costs low?
My friend was telling me that he always buy NTUC Fairprice housebrand - e.g. I think Golden Dragon 10kg rice. He had seen it increasing from about $8.50 to about $19 now!!!!!!!!! Wow! That is like almost >120% price increase!!!
Come on, same thing but increase by 120% in price! Not that my friend want better rice so have to pay 120% more as alleged ("cost of living is high because Singaporeans want better and more comfortable lives" is just NOT TRUE!)!!!!!!!!!!

Ok ok, some bloody idiots and thick-skin scambag who can't solve their own problems like minority will ask us the complainers for SOLUTIONS!!!
Ok ok, this time I throw in some for free (next time must charge $X.XX MILLIONS!):

1) Cut GST to 0%! (most important one..........)
Don't forget, we sick go hospital see doctors, take medicine, etc also need to pay GST!!!!!!!!!!
No reason no income people like babies, young children, retirees, the old, the sick, and the disabled also need to additional pay TAXES to survive when the TOP INCOME EARNERS get 13% INCOME TAX CUT!

2) Impose hard-hitting cooling measures for REITs and commercial properties and cutting of rentals for all GLC-owned properties (including industrial, shops, offices, retail, hawker centres etc)! (2nd most important one.............)

3) Remove all foreign maids' levies

4) Cut petrol fuel levy to $0 (now, all commercial vehicles and transport need to pay fuel levy, and get passed on to consumers like us again, this obviously will cause price to increase!)

5) What else???



Measures in place to ease woes of higher living costs

Monday, Aug 24, 2015
Walter Sim
The Straits Times

Good policies are in place to help ease the burden of the rising costs of living for Singaporeans, but these cannot mitigate the costs owing to changing lifestyle habits, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.

"As Singapore progresses, lifestyle habits and consumption patterns change. People, too, now have higher aspirations," he said in his Mandarin speech at the National Day Rally yesterday.

Suggesting reasons for some Singaporeans feeling the pinch, he noted that more households are using air-conditioners and other electrical appliances

"In the past, only one or two in 10 households owned an air-conditioner. Now, it is seven or eight in 10. As they use a lot of electricity, utility bills are going up."

Another example he gave is the prevalence of smartphones. In the past, when each household owned only one phone, the monthly bill was about $7.50. "But now, everyone in a household may own a smartphone, which can result in quite a sizeable sum."

Mr Lee raised the issue of growing costs of living as it was a concern of a listener of a Chinese radio talk show that the Prime Minister had participated in.

He said the Government has in place measures that alleviate the costs of basic necessities such as food, transport, healthcare and housing.

Businesses are encouraged to keep the costs of daily necessities and groceries affordable.

Citing the FairPrice chain of supermarkets, he said it sells as many as 30 brands of rice, of which 10 are house brands.

Offering consumers choices - including house brands of good quality - is a good way to help people cut their expenses, he said.

With many eating out often, he said the Government is not only building more hawker centres, but also adopting different operating models to keep costs affordable.

Some will be managed by cooperatives or social enterprises, he said, citing the new centre at Ci Yuan Community Club in Hougang Avenue 4, which has seen long queues.

Its stalls sell at least two food items at $2.80 or less. And of the 40 cooked food stalls, 10 operate round the clock.

Another 19 hawker centres will be built in the next 12 years, adding as many as 800 stalls.

In transport, Mr Lee noted the 1.6 million commuters who qualify for concession cards. They include polytechnic students who got on the scheme last year.

To celebrate SG50, the Government is giving people aged 60 and older $50 for public transport.

But he noted that pay rises have outpaced transport fare increases in the past 10 years. "So, objectively speaking, this burden has not increased for the majority of commuters."

In healthcare, measures such as the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life are being rolled out to help reduce costs.

The Pioneer Generation Card has helped the elderly save money, from "tens of dollars to see a doctor in the past, to a few dollars now". Some trips to the dentist are also free.

"Some have yet to use the card, but because they have it, they have peace of mind," he said.

Meanwhile, housing prices have stabilised in recent years owing to cooling measures and an increased supply of homes.

"More grants and subsidies have also enabled almost every family to own a Housing Board flat," said PM Lee, adding that schemes are to be introduced to let households earning below $1,000 own a flat .

"These examples show the Government has rolled out measures and policies to reduce the burden on citizens," he said. "But these only solve half the problem."

It is reasonable for people to want better and more comfortable lives, PM Lee said, but they must accept that this will inevitably result in higher expenses.

"Not all cost factors can be resolved through good policies," he said.

[hopeful]

..
1) Cut GST to 0%! ...
2) Impose hard-hitting cooling measures for REITs and commercial properties and cutting of rentals for all GLC-owned properties..
4) Cut petrol fuel levy to $0 ...

will businesses pass on cost saving to us?

[teddybear]

If they didn't remove GST, how will we know businesses won't pass on the cost savings?
And if the businesses didn't, at least we also know that there is no reason for them to increase price for next 10 years???? Didn't they increase prices citing higher costs because of GST etc???

will businesses pass on cost saving to us?

[teddybear]

So the government and Mr K Shanmugam still do not hear the voice of the people????
Oh my gosh!
Who here agree that "Govt has got major social policies right"???????

Didn't Mr K Shanmugam said that what WP MPs did in AHPETC is "CLEARLY ILLEGAL"?
If "CLEARLY ILLEGAL", why he didn't bring charges against these WP MPs for doing something that he claimed is "CLEARLY ILLEGAL"?
He is not doing his job as a Law Minister or his "CLEARLY ILLEGAL" is just plain misleading he basically means there is NOTHING ILLEGAL about the "CLEARLY ILLEGAL" things he claimed about AHPETC?

Still waiting for Mr K Shanmugam's clarification on his "CLEARLY ILLEGAL" statement and why he is not doing his job (as a Law Minister) to bring charges against the WP MPs...........

I think people whose voice has been masked or silenced or feel they have been misled should just tell them loudly at the ballot box on 11 September 2015........................




'Most feel Govt has got major social policies right'

(from left) Mr Henry Kwek; Mr K Shanmugam and Mr Louis Ng at a press conference to introduce candidates for Nee Soon GRC at Nee Soon East PAP Branch on Aug 26, 2015.
Photo: The Straits Times

Most Singaporeans feel that the Government has got major social and economic policies right since it began moving towards greater state support, Law Minister K Shanmugam said yesterday, though he added that it did not necessarily mean an increased vote share for the PAP.



Speaking at the introduction of new candidates for the PAP's Nee Soon GRC slate, which he leads, Mr Shanmugam said even though most people acknowledge that the Government is doing its best to respond to long- and short-term issues, local factors and intangibles may still come into play at the coming polls.

Answering a question on how the party would win back the "protest vote" that saw its vote share sink to 60.1 per cent in the 2011 polls, he said economic factors like the 2008 global economic crisis played a role in the 2011 election result.

No incumbent government around the world went through an election in the 2008 to 2012 period without suffering losses, said Mr Shanmugam.

But he emphasised that the PAP Government's shift to the left in social policies was not a "kneejerk reaction" to the elections, echoing a point made by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam in a speech earlier this month, when he said that "the world did not start in 2011".

Referring to the 2007 Workfare scheme which tops up wages of low-income workers, Mr Shanmugam said: "From 2007, those changes were made, and they were made with a view to impending social, demographic, substantive economic change.

"And you see over the last eight years those changes being put in place one at a time."

He recognised, however, that there were issues which the Government acted on, such as resentment over the long wait and high prices for housing, that were "specific to 2011".

"The key is that the Government showed that it is trying its best to deal with the issues that arise," said Mr Shanmugam.

"The critical thing is, have we got the major policies right starting from 2007?"

Given ground reaction, the answer is largely positive from Singaporeans, he said.

Asked about the likely Workers' Party (WP) challengers in Nee Soon GRC, Mr Shanmugam referenced the opposition party's troubled management of the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council.

"What I will say is our town council has never had its accounts qualified. It's always run a surplus because we husbanded the resources carefully. We spent $26 million on helping our residents and nevertheless ended up with surplus," he said.

Both the WP's own auditors and the Auditor-General's Office could not give AHPETC's accounts a clean bill of health.

Mr Shanmugam added: "The voters will have to decide whether they want to subsidise any of the town councils that's in deficit."

"I am sure that issue will come up, because when there's a deficit, as has happened before, one way of covering the deficit is merging it with another town council that has got a healthy amount of money."

[ay123]

they are waiting for the right time to press charge. to press charge now is too sensitive

[Citizen]

Master Bear, did you make a killing last few days from stock market? it was a golden opportunity we dun see it every days. I didn't see it will rebounce ver quickly so missed the boat. So have to wait again. Some said it will repeat it very soon , some said TKK.

[teddybear]

Golden opportunity ha ha ha!
Make the most hay while the sun shine (and then store for rainy days)! (that is what LKY taught us in his economic strategy isn't it?)

Unfortunately while we were make killings in stock market now and then,
Property prices are stuck in mud because of the property cooling measures that had hit hard.

Property price will likely keep falling (not high enough to sell, and yet not low enough to buy), and property prices will NEVER RECOVER (actually is will keep falling) until after next recession (will have to wait very very long to get in, and can't get out at a reasonable price also if anybody intent to sell)..............

Master Bear, did you make a killing last few days from stock market? it was a golden opportunity we dun see it every days. I didn't see it will rebounce ver quickly so missed the boat. So have to wait again. Some said it will repeat it very soon , some said TKK.

[indomie]

Golden opportunity ha ha ha!
Make the most hay while the sun shine (and then store for rainy days)! (that is what LKY taught us in his economic strategy isn't it?)

Unfortunately while we were make killings in stock market now and then,
Property prices are stuck in mud because of the property cooling measures that had hit hard.

Property price will likely keep falling (not high enough to sell, and yet not low enough to buy), and property prices will NEVER RECOVER (actually is will keep falling) until after next recession (will have to wait very very long to get in, and can't get out at a reasonable price also if anybody intent to sell)..............

Why so short sighted? The way I look at it, most property investors has done well. The value hold very well in the face of global slowdown. Even if the price doesn't increase, the increase of SGD is significant enough. In term of rupiah the increase is almost 50% in 5 years. On top of that u get rental income. So who is complaining?

[Arcachon]

[teddybear]

I hope I am wrong, but I see big tsunami coming for Singapore property market and big crash in Singapore property prices coming in coming recession...........
Singaporeans who want to sell and get out can't because of cooling measures (resulting in no serious buyers, all trying to low-ball offer price)....
Singaporeans who want to buy better wait, especially OCR private properties, because otherwise they may lose their trousers and end up working for life for the banks..................

And, I have very strong feeling that after Singapore General Election, SGD will depreciate quite rapidly, so all those good points will be no more................

Why so short sighted? The way I look at it, most property investors has done well. The value hold very well in the face of global slowdown. Even if the price doesn't increase, the increase of SGD is significant enough. In term of rupiah the increase is almost 50% in 5 years. On top of that u get rental income. So who is complaining?

[indomie]

In my opinion its better your currency increasing, than your property price increasing. Imagine if your property keep increasing, but your currency devaluing like zimbabwe. What good is that?. Be patience... Your investment is better this way.

[indomie]

I hope I am wrong, but I see big tsunami coming for Singapore property market and big crash in Singapore property prices coming in coming recession...........
Singaporeans who want to sell and get out can't because of cooling measures (resulting in no serious buyers, all trying to low-ball offer price)....
Singaporeans who want to buy better wait, especially OCR private properties, because otherwise they may lose their trousers and end up working for life for the banks..................

And, I have very strong feeling that after Singapore General Election, SGD will depreciate quite rapidly, so all those good points will be no more................

For a country with no external debt at all...you are very pessimistic. Other countries, with debt up to their nose still merry around. You might be poor, but Sg as a country owns a lot of asset around the world.

[teddybear]

SG is a country is where it is rich, the top managers pay themselves handsomely with multi-MILLIONS dollars salary and many many month of bonuses,
while the general population will get crumbs, like the recent General Election goodies, but as history would have it, and will usually repeats itself, Singaporeans will need to pay back everything with heavy interest and penalties after the General Election...........

Heard more "wealth taxes" are coming after General Election...............
And if people think that "wealth taxes" only taxes the "rich", they better check whether their definition of "rich" is the same with the establishment or not because for all we know, if a person owns a property and has some spare money in the bank he is already considered "rich" in Singapore, since they said Singapore's cost of living is actually very low and people feel their cost of living is high is because of their choice and not really because Singapore's cost of living is high!!!

And you know, the really rich are so "poor" that the grandfather scheme of all "wealth taxes", the estate duty taxes, have to be removed by the PAP government so much so that the PAP government will start introducing NEW "WEALTH TAXES".......................

Don't know what to say, when you get multi-MILLIONS dollars basic pay with another 14.5 MONTHS bonuses per year, everything in Singapore, including that Ferrari, will definitely looks SUPER CHEAP right?????

For a country with no external debt at all...you are very pessimistic. Other countries, with debt up to their nose still merry around. You might be poor, but Sg as a country owns a lot of asset around the world.

[Kelonguni]

For a country with no external debt at all...you are very pessimistic. Other countries, with debt up to their nose still merry around. You might be poor, but Sg as a country owns a lot of asset around the world.

Thank you Sir for your support in SG.

Most of those here are so myopic or narrow focused and has no idea how much has been put to secure the long term value of what's on the tiny red dot. Our strategy of slow and steady increase over the next few years is ideal I feel.

[teddybear]

SGD is already FALLING in value......

In my opinion its better your currency increasing, than your property price increasing. Imagine if your property keep increasing, but your currency devaluing like zimbabwe. What good is that?. Be patience... Your investment is better this way.

[Kelonguni]

SGD is already FALLING in value......

Yes Teddybear Sir, please do consider changing all your money to yuan or ringgit. Please sell your SG properties as well. I think their countries will also welcome you with open arms and legs.

[teddybear]

Ha ha ha!
For all you know, most of my money is already in foreign currencies............

Yes Teddybear Sir, please do consider changing all your money to yuan or ringgit. Please sell your SG properties as well. I think their countries will also welcome you with open arms and legs.

[Kelonguni]

Ha ha ha!
For all you know, most of my money is already in foreign currencies............

I know lah USD right?

Steady, the next thing you need to do is to sell your FH CCR properties. Then I will say you super steady!

[indomie]

[Arcachon]

[teddybear]

Given that the PAP Peoples Association's volunteers are actually working for free for the PAP PA, according to Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, their PA volunteers can only fall into 2 categories:
(1) The PAP's PA volunteers are either very rich; OR
(2) The PAP's PA volunteers are corrupt;

Given that many of the PAP's PA volunteers are average folks living in the HDB neighbourhood and Singapore don't have so many very rich people around and living in HDB neighbourhood, so according to Dr Vivian, is he saying/implying that most of the PAP's PA volunteers are corrupt?????

Looks like Dr Vivian is really very skeptical of the PAP PA's volunteers who volunteered to work for free for the PA?
Is this the PAP Government's view as well???????????

Is this also the reason why by just randoming picking the accounts of some PA branches to audit by the AGO, there are already so many "red cards" raised?????

Oh well, don't know what to say!
What Dr Vivian said is a big disservice to all those PAP's PA volunteers and a big smear of the person character and contributions of the PAP's PA and their grassroots' work for the PAP......................




Don't be seduced by notion politicians can work without allowances: Vivian

SINGAPORE — Waving aside the notion that politicians can work without allowances, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan of the People’s Action Party (PAP) said yesterday that only two kinds of people can serve the people at zero cost — those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt.
BY VALERIE KOH - AUGUST 28
SINGAPORE — Waving aside the notion that politicians can work without allowances, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan of the People’s Action Party (PAP) said yesterday that only two kinds of people can serve the people at zero cost — those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt.

(CORRECTION (28 Aug): Our earlier headline and story on the National Day Rally public forum organised by REACH misquoted Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. He did not use the word “incentives” when responding to a participant’s question on an MP’s annual allowance. His actual response was as follows: "Tell me who can afford to work for you for zero. There are people who can afford to work for you…apparently at zero. There are two kinds of people who can provide you services apparently at zero. Number 1: I’m already very rich. My bank account is full. I come back, I tell you I want to serve. Other kind of person: Why will that person actually cost more? The word is called corruption. That’s the word.” )

Speaking at a National Day Rally public forum organised by government feedback arm REACH,Dr Balakrishnan was responding to a participant who questioned the Member of Parliament (MP) allowance, which stands at S$192,500 annually.

Dr Balakrishnan, who is Environment and Water Resources Minister, said: “Don’t be seduced. The danger with elections is it’s an auction. Everybody would promise you the moon. Everybody would say they don’t need pay on the assumption either they don’t need to deliver, or things will go wrong.”

The PAP, he said, believes the moment dishonest politicians are in Parliament, “it’s the beginning of the end”. “It’s not making me popular, but I will insist on honesty … on declaration of conflicts of interest … on declarations of related party transactions. I will insist that ... if you’ve cheated before, come clean,” he said.

Adding onto the debate, which touched on justifying the MP allowance for part-time MPs, REACH chairman Amy Khor said that, as an MP, she felt she had more to contribute if she remained working in the industry.

“You have to look at it more broadly. Is the MP contributing as you expect? In fact, if I can do that, and I still can add value because I have a better understanding of what’s going on outside in the real world, isn’t that giving you more value?” said Dr Khor, who is also Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health.

Other issues brought up at the forum included concerns about the raised income ceiling for Build-to-Order flats, and the burden on Small and Medium Enterprises if they were to offer the additional one week of paternity leave.

Responding on the paternity leave issue, Dr Khor pointed out that the one extra week would be paid for by the Government, and it was also voluntary and up to businesses to offer.

[Citizen]

Given that the PAP Peoples Association's volunteers are actually working for free for the PAP PA, according to Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, their PA volunteers can only fall into 2 categories:
(1) The PAP's PA volunteers are either very rich; OR
(2) The PAP's PA volunteers are corrupt;

Given that many of the PAP's PA volunteers are average folks living in the HDB neighbourhood and Singapore don't have so many very rich people around and living in HDB neighbourhood, so according to Dr Vivian, is he saying/implying that most of the PAP's PA volunteers are corrupt?????

Looks like Dr Vivian is really very skeptical of the PAP PA's volunteers who volunteered to work for free for the PA?
Is this the PAP Government's view as well???????????

Is this also the reason why by just randoming picking the accounts of some PA branches to audit by the AGO, there are already so many "red cards" raised?????

Oh well, don't know what to say!
What Dr Vivian said is a big disservice to all those PAP's PA volunteers and a big smear of the person character and contributions of the PAP's PA and their grassroots' work for the PAP......................




Don't be seduced by notion politicians can work without allowances: Vivian

SINGAPORE — Waving aside the notion that politicians can work without allowances, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan of the People’s Action Party (PAP) said yesterday that only two kinds of people can serve the people at zero cost — those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt.
BY VALERIE KOH - AUGUST 28
SINGAPORE — Waving aside the notion that politicians can work without allowances, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan of the People’s Action Party (PAP) said yesterday that only two kinds of people can serve the people at zero cost — those who are wealthy, and those who are corrupt.

(CORRECTION (28 Aug): Our earlier headline and story on the National Day Rally public forum organised by REACH misquoted Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. He did not use the word “incentives” when responding to a participant’s question on an MP’s annual allowance. His actual response was as follows: "Tell me who can afford to work for you for zero. There are people who can afford to work for you…apparently at zero. There are two kinds of people who can provide you services apparently at zero. Number 1: I’m already very rich. My bank account is full. I come back, I tell you I want to serve. Other kind of person: Why will that person actually cost more? The word is called corruption. That’s the word.” )

Speaking at a National Day Rally public forum organised by government feedback arm REACH,Dr Balakrishnan was responding to a participant who questioned the Member of Parliament (MP) allowance, which stands at S$192,500 annually.

Dr Balakrishnan, who is Environment and Water Resources Minister, said: “Don’t be seduced. The danger with elections is it’s an auction. Everybody would promise you the moon. Everybody would say they don’t need pay on the assumption either they don’t need to deliver, or things will go wrong.”

The PAP, he said, believes the moment dishonest politicians are in Parliament, “it’s the beginning of the end”. “It’s not making me popular, but I will insist on honesty … on declaration of conflicts of interest … on declarations of related party transactions. I will insist that ... if you’ve cheated before, come clean,” he said.

Adding onto the debate, which touched on justifying the MP allowance for part-time MPs, REACH chairman Amy Khor said that, as an MP, she felt she had more to contribute if she remained working in the industry.

“You have to look at it more broadly. Is the MP contributing as you expect? In fact, if I can do that, and I still can add value because I have a better understanding of what’s going on outside in the real world, isn’t that giving you more value?” said Dr Khor, who is also Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Health.

Other issues brought up at the forum included concerns about the raised income ceiling for Build-to-Order flats, and the burden on Small and Medium Enterprises if they were to offer the additional one week of paternity leave.

Responding on the paternity leave issue, Dr Khor pointed out that the one extra week would be paid for by the Government, and it was also voluntary and up to businesses to offer.

Master Bear, can you introduce my Master Kelonguni and Arcachon to volunteer in parliament , they are so knowledgable , perhaps they can help us to crash the property market.

[teddybear]

Don't need me to introduce lah, they can always volunteer if they really want to.........

But I think they don't dare to volunteer for free least people think that they are very rich or they are corrupt (according to Dr Vivian)............

Master Bear, can you introduce my Master Kelonguni and Arcachon to volunteer in parliament , they are so knowledgable , perhaps they can help us to crash the property market.

[Citizen]

Don't need me to introduce lah, they can always volunteer if they really want to.........

But I think they don't dare to volunteer for free least people think that they are very rich or they are corrupt (according to Dr Vivian)............

Master Kelonguni and Arcachon according to Master Bear you can volunteer into parliament if you really want to, dun needs election. So help us implement policy to crash the property market. Thus Master Bear and I dun need wait till 2020. Thank you very much.

[Kelonguni]

Master Kelonguni and Arcachon according to Master Bear you can volunteer into parliament if you really want to, dun needs election. So help us implement policy to crash the property market. Thus Master Bear and I dun need wait till 2020. Thank you very much.

Thanks Master Citizen for the vote of confidence. Your nick suggests more strongly of patriotism.

Crashing market is not impossible, but doing that will result in nobody (except the very rich) able to buy and nobody willing to sell... Simply ban loans. But the outcome is not what anybody wants. Few would benefit from it. Govt will be out in 1 election.

The trick is to keep the price line flat or slightly upwards or slightly downwards going forward. Its much easier to regulate nowadays with technology and close to perfect market info flow. Some segments already there.

[Arcachon]

Master Sergeant retire Arcachon have, Master Arcachon not possible still learning.

Can only react to the Control Measure, can't influence the making of Control Measure.

Bought another PC before the ABSD in 2011 but was refuse additional loan for the 3th PC.

LKY have done a good job, we have so many elite to study and advise the Minister.

The Minister also not so bad, can think far, some even can do thing beyond their control (slow down HDB building program, refuse to add capacity even knowing the increase in population.)

Just pray we don't get too many moroon after the coming election.

Come back to property, property should never be allow to rise too high otherwise everyone just need to buy don't need to work.

The property rise in Singapore cannot be avoided due to the money printing around the World.

If you have notice, the control measure usually appear after the meeting of the various central Bank.

There are too many rich people in Singapore and so are the poor.

The ideal case is to have the property flat for as long as possible but then they can only do so much.

Those who can buy under TDSR and MSR should go ahead, those who can pay the extra ABSD should do so also before their age become their disadvantage.