Pay-as-you-use Power Supply - When credit expire then What ?
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While this "Pay-as-you-use " scheme seems to be practical at first glance, it does not address the issues clearly.
What will happen to the poor consumer, when the pre-paid consumption card has run out of credit ?
Will the less fortunate consumer be forced live in darkness, or move out of the premises, and live on the streets of Singapore ?
Pay-as-you-use power meters for poor by next May
They can avoid power supply cuts and running up arrears with new CashCard-operated meters to be fixed in homes where supply was cut before
By Goh Chin Lian
THOSE struggling to pay their electricity bills will not have the lights go out on them with a new CashCard-operated metering system that will be ready by next May.
The pay-as-you-use meters will be installed in households whose power supply got cut because they couldn't pay up, Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang said yesterday.
With such a pre-paid meter, these families will pay for what they use and avoid running up more arrears, rather than have their supply cut off periodically.
SP Services, the Singapore Power subsidiary that handles billing and payment collection, will announce more details of the scheme later.
The idea of pre-paid utilities to help the poor was broached by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech.
Yesterday, Mr Lim told Parliament that as of June, 9,781 household accounts, or 0.93 per cent, were behind in water and electricity bills.
They included 4.77 per cent of Housing Board one-roomers, 6.38 per cent of two-roomers and 0.71 per cent of other types of households.
On average, they owed 1.53 months' bill in payments.
SP Services sends them three reminders within eight weeks after they fail to pay up, the last reminder serving as the final notice before electricity is cut. It also arranges instalment payments. If they fail to pay the first time, a second payment plan will be arranged.
If they still fail to pay, power supply is cut and a thimble installed in the household's water pipe to limit water flow.
Power supply is restored if the household reduces the arrears by 40 per cent, Mr Lim said.
He agreed with Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC) that 40 per cent could be too much for some families, which was why the pre-paid card would be better.
But it cannot be implemented sooner, as Madam Halimah had requested, because SP Services has to try out the system first to make sure it works well.
What if families could not afford the CashCard, she asked.
He replied that they could seek help from Community Development Councils, Citizens' Consultative Committees and MPs.
Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir) suggested delaying disconnecting the supplies during the school examination period.
Mr Lim said that families would have enough time to manage their budget after reminders and the chance to pay by instalments.
Mr Lim also noted that as of last month, 11,240 out of 16,800 vouchers introduced in July last year - to help the needy pay for utilities - were still available.
From the Straits Times, Thursday, 2 September 2004
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,270483,00.html? -
Do they actually think that those consumers who can't post-pay can afford to pre-pay?
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Mr Lim also noted that as of last month, 11,240 out of 16,800 vouchers introduced in July last year - to help the needy pay for utilities - were still available.
Its in the report itself. Vouchers will be given to help them. It better to pay regularly then to wait for the problem to snow ball. I think its a good plan.
Why are ppl complaining ? You must read the whole report before you comment. Dun bash the govt for the sake of bashing.
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i dont read the thread fully...
but i think they shd not apply this to a ontime payment.
maybe for the family which power-supply been cut 2 time or more. -
[quote]Originally posted by Atobe:
[b]While this "Pay-as-you-use " scheme seems to be practical at first glance, it does not address the issues clearly.
What will happen to the poor consumer, when the pre-paid consumption card has run out of credit ?
Will the less fortunate consumer be forced live in darkness, or move out of the premises, and live on the streets of Singapore ?
Air is free. If you are so kind why dun you donate all your money to the poor ppl. -
What has this pre-paid thing got to do with air? He was merely addresing the government's short sightedness. Your reply does not answer his question.Originally posted by paperchicken:[quote]Originally posted by Atobe:
[b]While this "Pay-as-you-use " scheme seems to be practical at first glance, it does not address the issues clearly.
What will happen to the poor consumer, when the pre-paid consumption card has run out of credit ?
Will the less fortunate consumer be forced live in darkness, or move out of the premises, and live on the streets of Singapore ?
Air is free. If you are so kind why dun you donate all your money to the poor ppl. -
If the utility companies refrain from charging for land costs being acquired for public use under Land Acquisition Act, the poor need not have their electricity supplies cut off due to the high costs of utilities or need to ration their use of utilities so harshly by using meter or cash card system.
The root of our problems all these years is the system of charges for services by the government.
Despite all the past feedbacks, no effort has been made to dispense with land or rental costs for essential services like hospital, housing, utilities etc.
As lands were acquired for public use in many cases, why is there a charge on land in provision of government's essential services? The announced basis of government charges was = consumption + overheads. Why the silence and lack of accountability in this area.
Perhaps, Minister Khaw Boon Wan can throw some light on how to reduce hospital charges whereas his predecessor ministers cannot do so. -
Originally posted by paperchicken:
If the POOR can afford to pay for all the electricity that they need or consumed, will they be in a position of not being able to pay - resulting in the electricity being cut off ?
Mr Lim also noted that as of last month, 11,240 out of 16,800 vouchers introduced in July last year - to help the needy pay for utilities - were still available.
Its in the report itself. Vouchers will be given to help them. It better to pay regularly then to wait for the problem to snow ball. I think its a good plan.
Why are ppl complaining ? You must read the whole report before you comment. Dun bash the govt for the sake of bashing. [/b]
If the POOR can afford to pay REGULARLY, will they need to even wait for the problem of paying to snowball at all ?
The stupidity of the pre-pay scheme suggest that the poor can even know how much electricity they need to consume in one month.
Can anyone even know how much electricity one will need to consume in OCTOBER 2004, and make preparation to PRE-PAY that amount planned to be consumed ?
If the poor can only afford to pay for the electricity requirement for only 15 days, do we expect him to be in the dark for the other 15 days of the month ?
What happens to the food that need to be refrigerated, if the poor can even afford to have a second-hand refrigerator ?
The Power Company has reported windfall profits for the previous years of operation, surely the small number of needy poor that default regularly on payment can be looked after by less then 0.5% taken from the windfall profit.
If you care to stretch a little bit more of the paper flat mentality, and allow some light to shine onto all the folds of an otherwise clean sheet of paper, you will see that it need not come from my pocket, or even from the pages folded into some distorted quacks and clucks. -
I would tink that the new system is to allow social service agencies to pay for the utilities, rather than force the utility company to offer post paid credit terms to such customers. Allowing deferred payment is a form of credit line.
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As usual Atobe is blind to the facts before him and oppose for the sake of opposing and opposing everyone who oppose him and wanting to be right and win every arguement every time.
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The premise for a pre-paid service is to allow people who have trouble paying for their electricity to control their use. It allows people to see how much use of the electricity they have left, and to budget it to last.
For example, they might forgo switching the air-conditioner on if they have only a few credits left for the lights. This is meant more for people who are wasteful with their utilities, rather than poor people who are already having trouble paying for the little amount of electricity they consume. -
70% of utility vouchers for needy unused
Few among the poor aware of one-off gift from SingPower to help pay power bill. MPs also wary of encouraging welfarism
By Alexis Hooi
JOBLESS for almost six months, former air-con mechanic Jamil Aumany became desperate as the bills piled up.
Relieved to receive some help, Mr jamil Aumany, 41, father of three, makes less than $600 a month. -- MUGILAN RAJASEGARAN
The father of three turned to his Member of Parliament last December for help. And Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong GRC) gave him three utility vouchers, each worth $30.
Said Mr Jamil, 41: 'I didn't know there were such vouchers at that time. It was my wife's sister-in-law who told me about it. The amount wasn't much, but at least it made me worry less.'
Like him, few of the needy seem aware of these vouchers, set to expire on Thursday.
But Singapore Power is extending their validity to March next year, said its spokesman yesterday. As of last month, about 11,240 vouchers, worth $337,200, have still not been given away.
They represent about 70 per cent of the 16,800 first made available for the needy by SingPower last July. The vouchers, worth $504,000 in total, are a one-off gift for families suffering from the economic downturn and Sars outbreak last year.
Their distribution is left to the discretion of MPs or the areas' grassroots advisers.
Each of the 84 constituencies here received 200.
Dr Ong has given out all. As for the big pile left unused, he said there was a problem with overpublicising the scheme, because it 'encourages welfarism in a way'.
'People who get the vouchers are those who are seriously in financial problem,' he said.
Dr Chong Weng Chiew (Tanjong Pagar GRC) had given out over 80 per cent. He too warned against encouraging a crutch mentality.
He said: 'We shouldn't be waving a red flag for this, telling everyone that there's this help available. It's quite a process to go through to get the vouchers. A person with dignity won't do it unless he's in genuine trouble.'
Madam Cynthia Phua (Aljunied GRC) said she had given out more than half.
In most cases, the families sought help only after their power was cut and their grassroots organisations recommended that they seek aid.
Madam Phua said: 'It's important to realise that this is a favour from SingPower and there are more than enough vouchers to go around.' She added that not all who had their power cut were in deep financial trouble. Some chose to pay off other expenses first.
The SingPower spokesman said on average, about 3,000 homes every month are without power because of arrears.
'However, if the customer appeals for assistance because of hardship, we would offer instalment payment plans, thus avoiding disconnection action. It is only when the customer defaults on the instalment plans that disconnection action is taken,' she added.
She also said most of the homes could make some payment and had power restored.
When asked if SingPower would consider inserting flyers with the bills for homes in arrears - informing them of such vouchers - its spokesman said it would 'explore further on how we can reach out to the hardship cases'.
Meanwhile, Mr Jamil said he would seek more of the vouchers now that he knows so many are still available.
He makes less than $600 a month from part-time work. And he worries that the lights in his three-room Housing Board flat in Bukit Batok may go out. Said the father of three aged 15, 11 and six: 'No steady job and no money to pay for expenses, what else can I do?' -
When asked if SingPower would consider inserting flyers with the bills for homes in arrears - informing them of such vouchers - its spokesman said it would 'explore further on how we can reach out to the hardship cases'.
so is that a yes or a no?