Authoritarian governance - not the best way?
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Why don't we pool some of the people's $$$ to set up a new committee to look into why the job of taxi drivers are attracting these group of people.
If we do not offer higher pay , we might not attract good enough people into this committee. -
Self-Destructive Leadership
People are hungry.
Because those above consume too much in taxes,
People are hungry.
People are difficult to lead.
Because those above interfere with them,
People are difficult to lead.
People make light of death.
Because those above deeply seek survival,
People make light of death.
Indeed, it is those who do not interfere with life
Who are capable of respecting life. -
Because, these higher educated people are considered OH, Overpaid and Highly-experienced, in the companies that they were retrenched. Then they will be over-qualified for any junior position. And LPPL, they have to take up taxi driving.Originally posted by NotFromVenus:Why don't we pool some of the people's $$$ to set up a new committee to look into why the job of taxi drivers are attracting these group of people.
If we do not offer higher pay, we might not attract good enough people into this committee. -
Yeah!! Another senior member resort to flaming.Originally posted by Gazelle:If you are going to continue sitting behind your computer and wasting your precious time at sgforum, I am sure the income gap will get bigger. -
FYI, inflation is above 2.5 a year:Originally posted by Gazelle:Sorry, I didnt include the fact that you can use the money to invest in stock gold etc that what will surpass any tax hike and inflation. (btw inflation in Singapore is definitely below 2.5%)
Yeah there is definitely risk, but I think the risk of spend all you earn is higher.
From 1961 to 2005, price levels have risen 200.15%.
The average yearly inflation is 2.64%
http://www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/hist/cpi.html
You so confident that inflation is below 2.5%, wonder where you got your figures from? -
Yes! They don't pay income tax! They have to pay other form of taxes such as indirect tax, which puts all Singaporean in the 5% tax bracket at the moment.Originally posted by Gazelle:Majority of Singapore dont pay income tax and tax rate in Singapore is already among the lowest in the world for develop nation. If you want tax free, go to monaco or switzerland, thats provided you can afford it.
If I am the government, you are not paying any income tax, I absolve you from paying income tax, but slap you with a 5% indirect tax (which will be 7% next year). I then proclaim that a large percentage of Singaporeans don't pay income tax. Makes sense to you? Are you so easily duped, or do you have other agenda? -
Well, some of us might be unemployed as a result of the government's policies, doesn't mean we want to sit infront of the computer.Originally posted by Gazelle:If you are going to continue sitting behind your computer and wasting your precious time at sgforum, I am sure the income gap will get bigger.
Their policies of bringing in more cheap labour destroy our prospects for work. -
Opportunity cost: cost measured in terms of the next best alternative forgone.Originally posted by Gazelle:Participating in this forum is free, but wasting your time whinning about government policy is not free. (if you understand the meaning of opportunity cost)
There are no alternatives for some of us because our jobs have been robbed by cheap labour, which we are ill equipped to compete against. So our opportunity cost is nil. -
I am sure no young educated person would put driving a taxi as their first priority, I might be wrong (because you will), those young people probably couldn't find a job, so to make ends meet, drive taxi. You think sitting on your ass with absolute concentration for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 days a month is fun? Obviously you belong to the upper class, fail to understand the hardship of lower class commoners.Originally posted by Gazelle:You mean those young, educated and lazy who thinks that driving taxi is like being your own boss? -
Opportunity cost!!Originally posted by maurizio13:Opportunity cost: cost measured in terms of the next best alternative forgone.
There are no alternatives for some of us because our jobs have been robbed by cheap labour, which we are ill equipped to compete against. So our opportunity cost is nil.
thats a word that has been my boss "kou tou zhan" for months(or years)...
every meeting, every break...opportunity cost opportunity cost..argh! he dun have to repeat it again n again..heehee...
nice reference btw
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Originally posted by maurizio13:
CPF interest rate is not fixed and the government will adjust it according to the inflation rate. If you dont mind, can you tell us last time the CPF interest rate was below inflation rate?
FYI, inflation is above 2.5 a year:
From 1961 to 2005, price levels have risen 200.15%.
[b]The average yearly inflation is 2.64%
http://www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/hist/cpi.html
You so confident that inflation is below 2.5%, wonder where you got your figures from?[/b] -
Mind tell us what kind of job are you referring to and why arent you able to compete with foreign labour?Originally posted by maurizio13:Opportunity cost: cost measured in terms of the next best alternative forgone.
There are no alternatives for some of us because our jobs have been robbed by cheap labour, which we are ill equipped to compete against. So our opportunity cost is nil. -
You see, many people believes that driving taxi is like being your own boss, you dont have to work in the sun, you work when you feel like working and yet you still have a car to bring your family out for shopping.Originally posted by maurizio13:I am sure no young educated person would put driving a taxi as their first priority, I might be wrong (because you will), those young people probably couldn't find a job, so to make ends meet, drive taxi. You think sitting on your ass with absolute concentration for 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 days a month is fun? Obviously you belong to the upper class, fail to understand the hardship of lower class commoners.
unfortunately many didnt know that driving taxi is not as easy as the thought and that explain why so many new comers have decided to quit.
i believe if you are out of job, sitting on your ass and wasting time at sgforums and whinning about poilicy is not going to bring you anywhere. By doing so, I believe the old man collecting used cardboard is going to make more money than you. -
Do you have reason to believe that Singapore will be what we are today without foreign workers? Do you think we will have enough labour supply to support all FDI if we dont allow foreign labour into singapore?Originally posted by maurizio13:Well, some of us might be unemployed as a result of the government's policies, doesn't mean we want to sit infront of the computer.
Their policies of bringing in more cheap labour destroy our prospects for work.
Honestly you reasoning sound really pathetic and it is more like a whinner to me than somehow how is desperately looking for a job.
PS if you dont have a job, you shouldnt be wasting your parents money on a damn internet connection (broadband i believe) and wasting time here TCSS. -
Gazelle, I hope you will be more considerate to those that are retrenched and in the lower income families. I hope you will come down from your "oh so high up loft" and experience what the masses are experiencing. Let me ask you something, as a boss if you are to choose between:Originally posted by Gazelle:Mind tell us what kind of job are you referring to and why arent you able to compete with foreign labour?
1. 40 years old. Degree. Singaporean. Asking for $4k
OR
2. 24 years old. Masters. China/india, what have you. Asking for $1.6k
Who will you choose? The answer is obvious isn't it?
Do you think the 40 years old guy will be able to provide his family with a comfortable life? Do take into account that by 40 he probably has to send his kids to school, feed the family, settle the housing loans, take care of parents.
Survival is definately not a problem, please people in africa are surviving on just scraps, but are we a third world country? Do you want to compare with a third world country? Do you know many people are struggling to make ends meet here in modern Singapore? I really urge you to step out of your shell and learn more about those around you and stop making such sweeping remarks before understanding what's REALLY happening around you. -
Many people? Or People with no choice? Retrenched.Originally posted by Gazelle:You see, many people believes that driving taxi is like being your own boss, you dont have to work in the sun, you work when you feel like working and yet you still have a car to bring your family out for shopping.
unfortunately many didnt know that driving taxi is not as easy as the thought and that explain why so many new comers have decided to quit.
To sidetrack abit, looking at the way fares at rising at SBS I am very surprised that taxi fares have remain relatively unchanged. Isn't oil prices rising too? Maybe SBS is too engrossed in pleasing it's shareholders that it is neglecting our interest? -
Well, I was replying to your challenge of what you posted. Do you know what is the prevailing interest rate for endowment insurance? 3.75%! You should not treat CPF contributions as savings interest rate account (which is what the gov is doing), first of all savings account or current account has flexibility, which means you can withdraw money when you need it (that's why for the benefits of liquidity, it pays less interest), CPF account is more like an insurance, you cannot withdraw till you are above the retirement age, which might mean above 40 years of contribution.Originally posted by Gazelle:Sorry, I didnt include the fact that you can use the money to invest in stock gold etc that what will surpass any tax hike and inflation. (btw inflation in Singapore is definitely below 2.5%)
Yeah there is definitely risk, but I think the risk of spend all you earn is higher.
http://www.uob.com.sg/pages/personal/insurance/lifeassurance/uoblifeassurance/endowmentplans_smartsaver.html
CPF interest rate is not fixed and the government will adjust it according to the inflation rate. If you dont mind, can you tell us last time the CPF interest rate was below inflation rate?
I do not have the CPF "interest rates", maybe you can provide me with the data so I can have target practice.
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1) Stop making assumption about who I am and where I came from because that has got nothing to do with this thread.Originally posted by bangkokboy:Gazelle, I hope you will be more considerate to those that are retrenched and in the lower income families. I hope you will come down from your "oh so high up loft" and experience what the masses are experiencing. Let me ask you something, as a boss if you are to choose between:
1. 40 years old. Degree. Singaporean. Asking for $4k
OR
2. 24 years old. Masters. China/india, what have you. Asking for $1.6k
Who will you choose? The answer is obvious isn't it?
Do you think the 40 years old guy will be able to provide his family with a comfortable life? Do take into account that by 40 he probably has to send his kids to school, feed the family, settle the housing loans, take care of parents.
Survival is definately not a problem, please people in africa are surviving on just scraps, but are we a third world country? Do you want to compare with a third world country? Do you know many people are struggling to make ends meet here in modern Singapore? I really urge you to step out of your shell and learn more about those around you and stop making such sweeping remarks before understanding what's REALLY happening around you.
2) It really depends on the position. I will only take a 24 yr old master degree for very specialized skills and I will hire the 40 years old for his/her experience and network.
3) The biggest problem among Singaporeans who are "struggling" is not because there isnt any job opportunity for local, but rather their their proud nature, materialism and consumerism. -
Both blue collar and white collar jobs. Because of our own inherent cost structure, for the $1 we make, we are left with $0.80 (20% CPF), after we get our $0.80, we are left with $0.76 (GST 5%). When foreigners remit money back to their country like China, SGD 100 translates to RMB 500, you can feed a family with that, you can't even feed your dad 10 days with that.Originally posted by Gazelle:Mind tell us what kind of job are you referring to and why arent you able to compete with foreign labour? -
I am wondering why you didnt quote that the followingOriginally posted by maurizio13:Well, I was replying to your challenge of what you posted. Do you know what is the prevailing interest rate for endowment insurance? 3.75%! You should not treat CPF contributions as savings interest rate account (which is what the gov is doing), first of all savings account or current account has flexibility, which means you can withdraw money when you need it (that's why for the benefits of liquidity, it pays less interest), CPF account is more like an insurance, you cannot withdraw till you are above the retirement age, which might mean above 40 years of contribution.
http://www.uob.com.sg/pages/personal/insurance/lifeassurance/uoblifeassurance/endowmentplans_smartsaver.html
1) 3.75% p.a. is "subject to change".
2) As bonus rates are not guaranteed, the actual return may vary according to the future performance of the participating life fund.
3) What is the penalty to terminate your policy before maturity?
CPF is not an insurance, it is a compulsory saving scheme. And you can use them to pay housing, education, and investment in gold, stock and approved investment funds. Unfortunately CPF doesnt allow you to buy car, plasma, iPod, latest N series Nokia. -
Becoz of CPF liabilities , the employer would think that hiring foreigner would mean less cost to them and liability to keep a more motivated Employee at the same kind of salary.
Simple? -
1) For $1, your employer will pay you $0.13 (might be going up to 16 next year) into your CPF. So which mean you get a gross salary of $1.13 ($0.80 cash + $0.33 CPF)Originally posted by maurizio13:Both blue collar and white collar jobs. Because of our own inherent cost structure, for the $1 we make, we are left with $0.80 (20% CPF), after we get our $0.80, we are left with $0.76 (GST 5%). When foreigners remit money back to their country like China, SGD 100 translates to RMB 500, you can feed a family with that, you can't even feed your dad 10 days with that.
2) I think China's consumer tax rate is as high as 15%
3) I can survive on $10 per day, why is your dad so special? Guiness Stout for lunch?
4) RM500 feeding a family? How big? which part of China? -
As usual, our "knowledgable" gov is going to further screw life up for many in Singapore by tweaking the CPF again....
Please, don't vote them anymore.... -
Whatever you think about me is your own deluded opinion. I shan't even begin to say what I think about you.Originally posted by Gazelle:You see, many people believes that driving taxi is like being your own boss, you dont have to work in the sun, you work when you feel like working and yet you still have a car to bring your family out for shopping.
unfortunately many didnt know that driving taxi is not as easy as the thought and that explain why so many new comers have decided to quit.
i believe if you are out of job, sitting on your ass and wasting time at sgforums and whinning about poilicy is not going to bring you anywhere. By doing so, I believe the old man collecting used cardboard is going to make more money than you. -
1) So can you also stop making assumptions and insulting all taxi drivers as they have nothing to do with this thread? Anyway have you really attempted to talk with them or is this just an assumption?Originally posted by Gazelle:1) Stop making assumption about who I am and where I came from because that has got nothing to do with this thread.
2) It really depends on the position. I will only take a 24 yr old master degree for very specialized skills and I will hire the 40 years old for his/her experience and network.
3) The biggest problem among Singaporeans who are "struggling" is not because there isnt any job opportunity for local, but rather their their proud nature, materialism and consumerism.
2) Which means you still have a choice. Right? Why create this situation in the first place? Globalisation is good, but too much foreign talents to the point of it displacing locals is not good. Based on what you say, isn't it a good idea to restrict them to certain specialized vocations only?
3) I am talking about low-income families struggling. Anyway if those in the 40s are retrenched and they don't try to find a job that pays reasonably well, who will help them pay for children's upbringing, housing loans, look after their parents? The government? You? Please wake up, do you seriously feel that 1.6k is enough for those with such heavy responsibilities?
Materialism has nothing to do with basic survival. You are skirting the issue of LOW-INCOME families struggling, not some lazy young bum hoping for a higher salaried job.