Why implementing minimum wage in Singapore is a terrible idea

[minority]

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/why-implem...080211161.html

What is the point of a Minimum Wage?


"Why implementing minimum wage in Singapore is a terrible idea" and its full images can be seen as it was originally published on TheSmartLocal.com

First, let's take a look at what the minimum wage actually is. Too often, people start jumping on the minimum wage bandwagon without first understanding what its implications will be on Singaporeans.

Some may think that minimum wage helps the most vulnerable groups in society. These groups refer to the very bottom percentile of low-income workers. The uncle who clears your food away at the hawker centre. The grass cutter who trims the grass at your HDB flat. The security guard who works the night shift at your heartland shopping mall.

And it’s easy for people to get mad at and start pointing fingers and say how the government should be doing more for its citizens. Because for these vulnerable groups, their wages are not increasing fast enough to cope with the rising cost of living in Singapore, and that is very worrying.

So minimum wage is expected to help these workers in vulnerable groups, that's the whole point of it. Well, lets take a look at some countries where the minimum wage system is implemented. In the United States, a high minimum wage has done little to improve poverty or to reduce social inequalities.

In many European countries, high minimum wages have been accompanied by high unemployment, with people with the lowest skills being most severely affected. In fact, in Western Europe, the average jobless rate is twice as high in countries with a minimum wage compared to those with no minimum wage.

It may be nice in the short term but in the long term, this minimum wage is likely to be worker’s rice bowl for a very long time. In Hong Kong, because of inflation, some workers are now asking if the minimum wage is too low. Some say the minimum wage was calculated in 2009 and is too outdated.

One of the problems seen throughout the world with the minimum wage model is how sticky these minimum wages are - they rarely change. And when they do they usually require strikes, which will probably not happen in Singapore again for a while.

If our government had mindlessly implemented a minimum wage, I doubt our cleaners would see future pay raises on top of the base $1,000 monthly salary that awaits them on 1 September 2014.

Their employers may not be willing to send them for training so they can earn more either. Our low wage workers would continue to be stuck at the minimum wage that takes forever to climb just like the US.

No matter how diligent or productive a worker may be, companies have no incentive to pay their workers any higher than the minimum wage that has been set by the government. Hence, the minimum wage ironically becomes their maximum wage. Also, when they don’t have any incentive to become more productive, the competitive drive to increase performance is lost.

For wage increases to be sustainable, workers have to undergo training to be more productive. If they add more value to the company, the company will be able to pass this value back to them in terms of higher wages.

After years of studying minimum wage in other countries, union leaders from the NTUC felt a need to not just simply have a minimum wage, but create a better wage model to solve the 3 problems listed above, so that workers can keep their jobs, progressively earn more and climb the career ladder.


They called this model a Progressive Wage Model, which works by starting workers from a base wage, and increasing productivity through skills and training, plus rewarding employees accordingly when they move up the career ladder.

Some Singaporeans unfamiliar with the term, have just outright rejected the idea of it and jumped on the minimum wage bandwagon. So now that you understand both models, would you choose a Minimum wage or Progressive Wage?

[Arcachon]

http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.f...ners-wage.html

Persuading bosses to pay

IF MARKET measures have limited impact, what else can be done to raise wages at the bottom?

This year, two ideas surfaced but were rejected. Former National Wages Council (NWC) chairman Lim Chong Yah's proposed shock therapy - raising the pay of those earning less than $1,500 a month by 50 per cent over three years - drew rebuttals from the Government, unions and employers.

A legislated minimum wage will not work either, said NTUC's Mr Lim, because unions and companies can hit a gridlock over what that wage should be.

But Mr Lien feels the idea of a minimum wage should not be dismissed: 'It can be voluntary, and it can start in some sectors.'

Some industry players think that best-sourcing efforts in the cleaning sector - where service buyers consider factors other than cost - may result in something like a voluntary minimum wage.

In March, the Government announced that it would require its agencies to lead by example, by hiring only accredited cleaning companies. The accreditation scheme is under review, and may eventually include guidelines on paying cleaners 'appropriate wages'. But some cleaning company bosses are wary of such a change. One says it would be 'like having a minimum wage' and affect the whole sector.
- See more at: http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.f....N3IXLWq8.dpuf

[teddybear]

So you are saying that PAP is so daft to implement multi-tier minimum wage aka "Progressive (minimum) wage"?????

and didn't NTUC Secretary General Lim Swee Say said that:
"minimum wage has no place in Singapore - now or in the near future, because 'it will not work'" (Straits Times on 13 Oct 2010).

So PAP and NTUC Secretary General Lim Swee Say had made a big U-turn by implementing "Progressive (Minimum) Wage"????

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/why-implem...080211161.html

What is the point of a Minimum Wage?


"Why implementing minimum wage in Singapore is a terrible idea" and its full images can be seen as it was originally published on TheSmartLocal.com

First, let's take a look at what the minimum wage actually is. Too often, people start jumping on the minimum wage bandwagon without first understanding what its implications will be on Singaporeans.

Some may think that minimum wage helps the most vulnerable groups in society. These groups refer to the very bottom percentile of low-income workers. The uncle who clears your food away at the hawker centre. The grass cutter who trims the grass at your HDB flat. The security guard who works the night shift at your heartland shopping mall.

And it’s easy for people to get mad at and start pointing fingers and say how the government should be doing more for its citizens. Because for these vulnerable groups, their wages are not increasing fast enough to cope with the rising cost of living in Singapore, and that is very worrying.

So minimum wage is expected to help these workers in vulnerable groups, that's the whole point of it. Well, lets take a look at some countries where the minimum wage system is implemented. In the United States, a high minimum wage has done little to improve poverty or to reduce social inequalities.

In many European countries, high minimum wages have been accompanied by high unemployment, with people with the lowest skills being most severely affected. In fact, in Western Europe, the average jobless rate is twice as high in countries with a minimum wage compared to those with no minimum wage.

It may be nice in the short term but in the long term, this minimum wage is likely to be worker’s rice bowl for a very long time. In Hong Kong, because of inflation, some workers are now asking if the minimum wage is too low. Some say the minimum wage was calculated in 2009 and is too outdated.

One of the problems seen throughout the world with the minimum wage model is how sticky these minimum wages are - they rarely change. And when they do they usually require strikes, which will probably not happen in Singapore again for a while.

If our government had mindlessly implemented a minimum wage, I doubt our cleaners would see future pay raises on top of the base $1,000 monthly salary that awaits them on 1 September 2014.

Their employers may not be willing to send them for training so they can earn more either. Our low wage workers would continue to be stuck at the minimum wage that takes forever to climb just like the US.

No matter how diligent or productive a worker may be, companies have no incentive to pay their workers any higher than the minimum wage that has been set by the government. Hence, the minimum wage ironically becomes their maximum wage. Also, when they don’t have any incentive to become more productive, the competitive drive to increase performance is lost.

For wage increases to be sustainable, workers have to undergo training to be more productive. If they add more value to the company, the company will be able to pass this value back to them in terms of higher wages.

After years of studying minimum wage in other countries, union leaders from the NTUC felt a need to not just simply have a minimum wage, but create a better wage model to solve the 3 problems listed above, so that workers can keep their jobs, progressively earn more and climb the career ladder.


They called this model a Progressive Wage Model, which works by starting workers from a base wage, and increasing productivity through skills and training, plus rewarding employees accordingly when they move up the career ladder.

Some Singaporeans unfamiliar with the term, have just outright rejected the idea of it and jumped on the minimum wage bandwagon. So now that you understand both models, would you choose a Minimum wage or Progressive Wage?

[irisng]

In the 1st place, how the inflation comes about? I personally feel that and to simplify it, when the "source" increases the salary for the workers (lets put weather aside), they will pass this "cost" to the suppliers/distributors/sellers and in turn they will pass it to the consumers. In the end who suffer, the person who bought the end-products will get it (some food is essential, cannot avoid but for non-essential items, we can still avoid) but then again who would be happy if their salary is always stagnant, no increment. When workers not happy, productivity also drop. Even if the govt helps to pay some of the salary increment, you think the "source" or supplier/distributor/sellers will reduce their prices, I don't think so, human are greed, they want to earn even more. Anybody ever see that a bowl of noodles cost $3 and in a next week time, it drops to $2.50, no right?

[Arcachon]

Singapore wages low due to cheap labor.

To get high wages need to move to high value add.

Things are expensive due to money printing.

2007 the world have been on money printing, China is the worst, they put all in property and business that cannot make profit.

[Citizen]

In the 1st place, how the inflation comes about? I personally feel that and to simplify it, when the "source" increases the salary for the workers (lets put weather aside), they will pass this "cost" to the suppliers/distributors/sellers and in turn they will pass it to the consumers. In the end who suffer, the person who bought the end-products will get it (some food is essential, cannot avoid but for non-essential items, we can still avoid) but then again who would be happy if their salary is always stagnant, no increment. When workers not happy, productivity also drop. Even if the govt helps to pay some of the salary increment, you think the "source" or supplier/distributor/sellers will reduce their prices, I don't think so, human are greed, they want to earn even more. Anybody ever see that a bowl of noodles cost $3 and in a next week time, it drops to $2.50, no right?

Master Iris , perhaps it is Capitalism. Everything got a price, it goes up and comes down , sometimes never come down at all. Should we say Cycle.
The price of the bowl of noodles might drop when there is a recession or alternative we set a stall next to it and sell cheaper. I might be wrong, but of course there are more to it.

[Citizen]

Master Iris , perhaps it is Capitalism. Everything got a price, it goes up and comes down , sometimes never come down at all. Should we say Cycle.
The price of the bowl of noodles might drop when there is a recession or alternative we set a stall next to it and sell cheaper. I might be wrong, but of course there are more to it.

All Masters , my brother always joke with me when I complain this expensive that expensive, when I said medical bill too expensive. He said "asked you study hard and become doctor you dun want and now KPKB" , but I replied that not everyone got study gene. His rebut made me more furious . He said " Set up or acquire a hospital or alternatively volunteer and work in hospital " but of course it is a joke.

[indomie]

Minimum wage create higher inflationary "expectation. This is a dangerous kind of inflation. There is no real demand to start with.

[Warren49]

Cost of living will indeed go up with the min wage, but if a company cant afford to pay its workers $1,000 per month, perhaps that company shouldnt be operating in SG in the first place. It would be better off operating elsewhere, while we take in higher quality companies.

The progressive wage model is a disguised form of min wage anyway. Do you think the Japanese/German security guards/cleaners are really that much more productive and so highly trained/skilled than the Singaporean counterparts?

[august]

There is already minimum wage, for PAP ministers. Lol.

[teddybear]

GST without basic necessities exemption is even worse and more dangerous, it is a tax that taxes the poor, the disabled, the sick, the young, and the retirees who have no income but yet still need to pay tax just to live in Singapore!!!!!

GST is the one that create the worst inflation, because of the additional multiplier/cascaded effects!

Didn't we see that since 1994 when GST has been implemented, costs of living/inflation don't know went up how many times already!

Worse, there is no real demand, and the inflation is created by the Government, and only benefits the government and the rich (the top-earners and the rich businessmen) who enjoyed the income tax cut of 13% while the average income earners all got hit with 7% GST!

Minimum wage create higher inflationary "expectation. This is a dangerous kind of inflation. There is no real demand to start with.

[teddybear]

Agreed!
What we need is minimum wage, and not GST!

Cost of living will indeed go up with the min wage, but if a company cant afford to pay its workers $1,000 per month, perhaps that company shouldnt be operating in SG in the first place. It would be better off operating elsewhere, while we take in higher quality companies.

The progressive wage model is a disguised form of min wage anyway. Do you think the Japanese/German security guards/cleaners are really that much more productive and so highly trained/skilled than the Singaporean counterparts?

[minority]

Minimum wage create higher inflationary "expectation. This is a dangerous kind of inflation. There is no real demand to start with.

Minimum wage without taking into consideration of productivity or skills of workers is plan dangerous. The inflationary impact will erode the effects of the minimum wage. And the minimum will never be enough as it will be always be a cycle feeding the inflation.

Key is wage increase by pushing for better productivity and skill sets upgrade for better jobs. a Blind Min Wage is destructive and low skills worker will loose their job anway with min wage. so there is no benefit to them.

[minority]

Agreed!
What we need is minimum wage, and not GST!

TALK COCK again. So $10 Chicken rice ? after minwage? LOL u are a joke!

[teddybear]

Just take the GST collected and transfer to min wage, i.e. people's pockets!

So no min wage is PAP point of view????

TALK COCK again. So $10 Chicken rice ? after minwage? LOL u are a joke!

[teddybear]

minority,
Don't bullshit lah!
Progressive wage is also another kind of Min Wage...............

Your Progressive wage only reward cleaners and security guards?
What about other jobs? They don't need Progressive wages? How long are they going to wait to get it?

1 word: Stupid!
Just implement Min wage for all jobs can liao - simple!

Minimum wage without taking into consideration of productivity or skills of workers is plan dangerous. The inflationary impact will erode the effects of the minimum wage. And the minimum will never be enough as it will be always be a cycle feeding the inflation.

Key is wage increase by pushing for better productivity and skill sets upgrade for better jobs. a Blind Min Wage is destructive and low skills worker will loose their job anway with min wage. so there is no benefit to them.

[indomie]

Min wage is a political jargon that is used to gain popularity.

[teddybear]

No, min wage is to prevent exploitation of the low income workers by those inhuman employers and bosses to ensure they have sufficient to live by "basically"! These people don't need "goodies", just need to have minimum wages to ensure food on the table, and to ensure that cost of living is keep in check, don't anyhow increase GST to jack up the people's cost of living!!!!!!!

Min wage is much better than GST to help the poor!
Already, the rich bosses get 13% income tax and corporate tax cut while the rest of the people including those low-income and NO-INCOME get hit with 7% to SUBSIDIZE THE RICH!

GST with GST rebate and vouchers sound like those people receiving it are BEGGARS!

Min wage gives back dignity to people who are willing to work hard for a living!

There are many low income workers who work hard and yet don't get enough to live by as low-income workers!

Any, the PAP implemented Progressive Wage is already Min Wage, but only for cleaners and security guards. So what about other low-income jobs??????? So they don't deserve Min Wage?????? Why so biase??????

Min wage is a political jargon that is used to gain popularity.

[irisng]

No, min wage is to prevent exploitation of the low income workers by those inhuman employers and bosses to ensure they have sufficient to live by "basically"! These people don't need "goodies", just need to have minimum wages to ensure food on the table, and to ensure that cost of living is keep in check, don't anyhow increase GST to jack up the people's cost of living!!!!!!!

Min wage is much better than GST to help the poor!
Already, the rich bosses get 13% income tax and corporate tax cut while the rest of the people including those low-income and NO-INCOME get hit with 7% to SUBSIDIZE THE RICH!

GST with GST rebate and vouchers sound like those people receiving it are BEGGARS!

Min wage gives back dignity to people who are willing to work hard for a living!

There are many low income workers who work hard and yet don't get enough to live by as low-income workers!

Any, the PAP implemented Progressive Wage is already Min Wage, but only for cleaners and security guards. So what about other low-income jobs??????? So they don't deserve Min Wage?????? Why so biase??????

GST without basic necessities exemption is even worse and more dangerous, it is a tax that taxes the poor, the disabled, the sick, the young, and the retirees who have no income but yet still need to pay tax just to live in Singapore!!!!!

GST is the one that create the worst inflation, because of the additional multiplier/cascaded effects!

Didn't we see that since 1994 when GST has been implemented, costs of living/inflation don't know went up how many times already!

Worse, there is no real demand, and the inflation is created by the Government, and only benefits the government and the rich (the top-earners and the rich businessmen) who enjoyed the income tax cut of 13% while the average income earners all got hit with 7% GST!

GST affect all people while minimum wages affect only a certain percentage of people especially the lower income earners. GST vouchers don't really help much, easy money come, easy money go. Moreover not everybody receive the GST vouchers, there is a ceiling to their salary, if I'm not wrong, I think cannot be more than $24k per year ie $2,000 per month.

Partly agree that after implementing the GST, things seem to be more expensive. Most sellers will add this GST cost to their products ignoring the fact that they have claimed GST from IRAS by submitting the GST claim every quarterly. So if IRAS pay them back the GST, why is there still an increase in prices? GST also make lots of things quite complicated in a company with some overseas customers refuse to apply for the export permit for the company because they need to pay extra money for the permit as they claim. Without the permit to support the GST claim, company cannot claim back GST from IRAS, so sometimes company need to absorb GST or somestimes reject the deal. Is this good for the company?

If there is a need to adjust those people whose salary is $1,500 per month, it will not be fair for those people who earn S$1,600 or more. If an old employee working in the company for 5 yrs earning about $1,800 per month and this new employee working for about 1 year is now earning only $1,500 and because of min wage, there is an adjustment, do you think will this old employee will be happy with it. Then, problem will start, everybody will start asking for increment, who suffer, the company will suffer.

In short, it cannot please everyone.

[minority]

GST affect all people while minimum wages affect only a certain percentage of people especially the lower income earners. GST vouchers don't really help much, easy money come, easy money go. Moreover not everybody receive the GST vouchers, there is a ceiling to their salary, if I'm not wrong, I think cannot be more than $24k per year ie $2,000 per month.

Partly agree that after implementing the GST, things seem to be more expensive. Most sellers will add this GST cost to their products ignoring the fact that they have claimed GST from IRAS by submitting the GST claim every quarterly. So if IRAS pay them back the GST, why is there still an increase in prices? GST also make lots of things quite complicated in a company with some overseas customers refuse to apply for the export permit for the company because they need to pay extra money for the permit as they claim. Without the permit to support the GST claim, company cannot claim back GST from IRAS, so sometimes company need to absorb GST or somestimes reject the deal. Is this good for the company?

If there is a need to adjust those people whose salary is $1,500 per month, it will not be fair for those people who earn S$1,600 or more. If an old employee working in the company for 5 yrs earning about $1,800 per month and this new employee working for about 1 year is now earning only $1,500 and because of min wage, there is an adjustment, do you think will this old employee will be happy with it. Then, problem will start, everybody will start asking for increment, who suffer, the company will suffer.

In short, it cannot please everyone.

Are you sure Min Wage only affect certain group of people? it will affect the whole spectrum of people. Min Wage is wage increase irrespective of skill set or productivity. Its do not take into regards the hard striving ones from the lazy ones. The ones that purse new skills and those thane just don't want to improve. It also dis courages the ones who want to strive harder and improve since there is no value coz pay is take same as the lazy ones.

Min wage also will be passed on to the consumers which means consumers will also pay for the wage increase without added value to any services. And this is feed back into the economy as inflation. Also for SME or your hawkers who especially the lower income or lower echelon of the business they have to bear the cost. i.e. hawker helpers. so if the cost cannot be passed on the helper assistant who is low income will also be let go. So what Min wage do for them? Become NO WAGE. is that better?

in the end MIN wage is just a sexy nice political term The Oppies like to use to pull heart sting the fact its not working in all the western countries i.e. those with Min wage have higher unemployment rates verses those countries who don't have min wage. shows that Min Wage is not helping the low income actually its discriminating them and doing them a disservice. And the low skills ones will not be able to find job as min wage prevent them from getting a job !

[minority]

minority,
Don't bullshit lah!
Progressive wage is also another kind of Min Wage...............

Your Progressive wage only reward cleaners and security guards?
What about other jobs? They don't need Progressive wages? How long are they going to wait to get it?

1 word: Stupid!
Just implement Min wage for all jobs can liao - simple!

WAH KAM LAN!!.. Progvessive WAGE INCLUE SKILL SET or JOB RESCOPE. Means do more or learn a new skill!!! MIN WAGE IS A BLIND APPLICATION REGARDLESS OF SKILL OR PRODUCTIVITY!!! THAT YOU WANT TO FUDGE? HOW KAM LAN CAN U BE?

[minority]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/e...-says-OBR.html

The Chancellor's new "national living wage" is a "completely hopeless" way of trying to reduce poverty that could leave the economy with higher unemployment if another crisis hits, economists have warned.
Stephen Nickell, one of the leaders of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Government’s fiscal watchdog, claimed that the number of people in “poor” households who were likely to benefit from a higher minimum wage was “very small”.
“In other words, minimum wages as a method of relieving poverty is completely hopeless because most people on the minimum wage don’t live in poor households,” he told the Treasury select committee.
While raising the minimum wage to £9 an hour for those aged 25 and over by 2020, from the current minimum of £6.50, is expected to boost earnings towards the end lower end of the income distribution, the OBR expects half of the cash gains in household income to be accrued to to the richest 50pc of households.

Michael Saunders, chief UK economist at Citi, said he was “worried” that the simultaneous withdrawal of tax credits in the Budget could translate into higher unemployment rates in the future.

[teddybear]

minority,
Don't keep lying lah!
GST with income tax cut only benefits the top 1% of income earners (including the Ministers themselves) and rich businessmen owners, while expecting everybody else including all middle-income families to pay much more taxes, simple as that, think we Singaporeans so stupid?!

Are you sure Min Wage only affect certain group of people? it will affect the whole spectrum of people. Min Wage is wage increase irrespective of skill set or productivity. Its do not take into regards the hard striving ones from the lazy ones. The ones that purse new skills and those thane just don't want to improve. It also dis courages the ones who want to strive harder and improve since there is no value coz pay is take same as the lazy ones.

Min wage also will be passed on to the consumers which means consumers will also pay for the wage increase without added value to any services. And this is feed back into the economy as inflation. Also for SME or your hawkers who especially the lower income or lower echelon of the business they have to bear the cost. i.e. hawker helpers. so if the cost cannot be passed on the helper assistant who is low income will also be let go. So what Min wage do for them? Become NO WAGE. is that better?

in the end MIN wage is just a sexy nice political term The Oppies like to use to pull heart sting the fact its not working in all the western countries i.e. those with Min wage have higher unemployment rates verses those countries who don't have min wage. shows that Min Wage is not helping the low income actually its discriminating them and doing them a disservice. And the low skills ones will not be able to find job as min wage prevent them from getting a job !

[teddybear]

minority,
Don't keep lying and take all Singaporeans like a fool!
Progressive wage is a form of Minimum Wage, clear as blue sky (not white cloud)!

Tell us, when are the rest of the population getting their Min Wage?
Ops, "Progressive Wage" if you like?
When?????

When are the Singaporeans going to stop paying more taxes and GST and the government going to shift tax burden to the top 1% of income earners (including the Ministers themselves) and rich businessmen owners (instead of the rest of Singaporeans)?

Given all the lies like minority is perpetuating for the white cloud, it reflects very bad for them!

WAH KAM LAN!!.. Progvessive WAGE INCLUE SKILL SET or JOB RESCOPE. Means do more or learn a new skill!!! MIN WAGE IS A BLIND APPLICATION REGARDLESS OF SKILL OR PRODUCTIVITY!!! THAT YOU WANT TO FUDGE? HOW KAM LAN CAN U BE?

[minority]

minority,
Don't keep lying and take all Singaporeans like a fool!
Progressive wage is a form of Minimum Wage, clear as blue sky (not white cloud)!

Tell us, when are the rest of the population getting their Min Wage?
Ops, "Progressive Wage" if you like?
When?????

When are the Singaporeans going to stop paying more taxes and GST and the government going to shift tax burden to the top 1% of income earners (including the Ministers themselves) and rich businessmen owners (instead of the rest of Singaporeans)?

Given all the lies like minority is perpetuating for the white cloud, it reflects very bad for them!

so Progressive wage is not the same as Min wage like u agreed. Good that u finally see it! You are really as dumb as a door nob! Tale u so long to see the difference!

When Singaporean stop paying TAX!! dont be cheap! today singaproean are not pay much income tax. majority. are not! Top 20% pay the 80% of tax! so what else you want dont pay at all? dont be cheap!

GST??? GST are rich pay more! consume more pay more tax. bottom 60% pay 16% of all GST collectged. there is GST rebates for poor and middle income get GST rebates too! U RICH want to BUY BIG TICKET ITEMS DONT WANT TO PAY TAX!! LOL! WHAT A CHEAP IDOIT!

[minority]

[hopeful]

https://www.gstvoucher.gov.sg/Pages/faqs.aspx#
1. What is the GST Voucher?
The GST Voucher is meant to help lower- and middle-income households with their expenses, in particular, what they pay in GST. The GST Voucher will be given in three components − Cash, Medisave and U-Save.

On average, the GST Voucher will help lower-income families offset about half of the GST they pay each year. Retiree couples living in smaller flats can expect to receive a GST Voucher that will more than fully offset their yearly GST expenses. Middle-income families can also expect to receive a GST Voucher that will partially offset their GST expenses.

so not offset fully for lower income families.
Still unclear about calculation of GST voucher offset half the GST they pay each year.
If all components are used to calculate the 1/2 offset, then for the lower-income families, the offset is less than half. since GST are paid in cash, but part of the GST voucher are accrued in Medisave.

2. How long will the GST Voucher scheme last and how much does it cost the Government?

The GST Voucher Scheme is expected to cost the Government $715 million in Financial Year 2015....

4. I pay GST in cash. Why is the GST Voucher not given to me fully in cash to help with the GST that I pay?

The GST Voucher is meant to support living expenses for both immediate and longer-term needs. It has three parts − Cash, Medisave and U-Save. The Cash and U-Save rebate help to offset some immediate cash outlays. The Medisave top-up will help the majority of elderly Singaporeans with their medical expenses.

how much of GST vouchers are fully utilized ? is the GST vouchers like shops giving out vouchers? and if vouchers not utilized, the shops still claim tax deductible expenses of the value of vouchers given out.

[minority]

https://www.gstvoucher.gov.sg/Pages/faqs.aspx#
1. What is the GST Voucher?
The GST Voucher is meant to help lower- and middle-income households with their expenses, in particular, what they pay in GST. The GST Voucher will be given in three components − Cash, Medisave and U-Save.

On average, the GST Voucher will help lower-income families offset about half of the GST they pay each year. Retiree couples living in smaller flats can expect to receive a GST Voucher that will more than fully offset their yearly GST expenses. Middle-income families can also expect to receive a GST Voucher that will partially offset their GST expenses.

so not offset fully for lower income families.
Still unclear about calculation of GST voucher offset half the GST they pay each year.
If all components are used to calculate the 1/2 offset, then for the lower-income families, the offset is less than half. since GST are paid in cash, but part of the GST voucher are accrued in Medisave.

2. How long will the GST Voucher scheme last and how much does it cost the Government?

The GST Voucher Scheme is expected to cost the Government $715 million in Financial Year 2015....

4. I pay GST in cash. Why is the GST Voucher not given to me fully in cash to help with the GST that I pay?

The GST Voucher is meant to support living expenses for both immediate and longer-term needs. It has three parts − Cash, Medisave and U-Save. The Cash and U-Save rebate help to offset some immediate cash outlays. The Medisave top-up will help the majority of elderly Singaporeans with their medical expenses.

how much of GST vouchers are fully utilized ? is the GST vouchers like shops giving out vouchers? and if vouchers not utilized, the shops still claim tax deductible expenses of the value of vouchers given out.

Well depends where GST is meant to incur

Medical- If go policlinic there is no GST. But Medisave can be use to pay insurance or GP. So those have GST . If the person uses those then the offset is in Medisave ( Medisave)

Utility - is given automatically to offset the bills. (USAVE)

Cash- Cash given out and credited directly into ones acct.

All these are mean to help the low income offset the GST impact and also Low income folks don't pay tax.

So if ones uses the service i.e. medical or uses utility the voucher will be offset. if ones never use those there was no GST incurred on the person anyway. so then there is no reason to offset.

The Cash component is given regardless right.

[teddybear]

Wow, didn't know that top 40% earners are considered "top earners" and paid 84% of all GST collected !!!!!!!!!!!

Questions then:

1) How they know top 40% earners pay 84% of all GST collected?
All consumers must fill in forms to declare their income when they buy things/products/services, otherwise how to get these figures?
The only other alternative is anyhow humtam and aga aga? If so, say so lah, don't just pluck a figure from some where and make us thought it is some hard indisputable figure right?

2) Even better, the 40th percentile earners, who are considered "Top Earners", are known to earn only about $4000 per month !
So in the government's context, $4000 per month income means "Top Earners"?
Let's see, then those Ministers with $166,667 per month income or 46.7 TIMES more is considered "what" earners?

3) Now GST collected of S$10.2B more than individual income taxes collected of S$8.9B!
Looks like most GST taxes are collected from Middle and Upper-Income earners (who do not enjoy the income tax cut) while the rich enjoy 13% income tax cut...........

[minority]

minority,
Don't keep lying lah!
GST with income tax cut only benefits the top 1% of income earners (including the Ministers themselves) and rich businessmen owners, while expecting everybody else including all middle-income families to pay much more taxes, simple as that, think we Singaporeans so stupid?!

talk cock they pay more on GST consumption. and what income tax cut! income tax went up last year. Dont talk cock sing song!