As long as our abang has not 'come home', i am not comfortable to endorse that the pore is the best place to live in, in the sense that terror has eyes on the pore and abang has not 'come home' and has gone UnTraceable in not just a country but a city and not just that but a tiny little dot , for over 5 weeks and still counting.
1. is there any Trace that he IS still in the pore, for sure, absolutely sure in the scientific and legal sense?
2. How long will it take for our leading men to capture this limper? yes, he has disabilities. and is UnTraceable in a tiny town city.
But have no fear, with my confidence in the leading men, I optimistically think the re-capture will be in 6 months time, i.e. 24 weeks or less.
this means can be tomorrow lah, doon ya get it ;) .
while all the many good news is attributed to our leading men, who on earth wants to accept the baby called the ills of the system, if any?
With Casino, how many can dare to come up here and say, ZERO problems will be created ? Zero social ills will be created ?
I believe less people will be bankrupt due to Casino because more people will win money than lose. U believe me right? Based on the poreans choice, I think you believe me. No money illegal laundering. No murders. No drug and sex and gambling addicts. No marriage problems due to gambling. No prostitution due to owing money to gambling. No family problems and breakups due to it.
Sure. no problem wan.
Economy gain wan. All the glory.
anyone wants to take the blame for social ills?
u tell me
MSK... it is really a big cock up. I think he manage to escape liao. However because he escape doesn't means singapore is gonna face a big terrorist attack...
About casino, I thought it is a cut and dried topic liao. It do bring in social ill but it also bring in wealth and tourists. Every decision there r pros and cons. Countries like malaysia, japan, british, america and korea also have casinoes. R they facing a big social problem now ? If u talk about casino, Geylang have a lot of illegal casinoes now.
Originally posted by EROPAGNIS:According to some survey, Singapore is ranked as one of the best place to work and live. I wonder why so many people in this forum are so unhappy?
I'll agree Singapore is the "best place to live". It would be my #1 choice.
However its not the best place to work.....by far.
Its also harder to make $ if you start off poor.
....however its a very good place to make $ if you are rich.
... firstly, the Taxes we pay are for what in return?
- NOTHING. Unlike countries where Taxes may be high (Singapore's aren't low, just many eg. TV License) at the end of the day medical and health care is paid for... here, you get taxed by way of Medisave and now Annuity till you die...
... good? Hardly..! We're being robbed by legal means!
... I wouldn't agree that being rich, would make Singapore THE BEST place to live in; limited places of interests, over-crowding, are some of the reasons...
Originally posted by HyperFocal:
... firstly, the Taxes we pay are for what in return?
- NOTHING. Unlike countries where Taxes may be high (Singapore's aren't low, just many eg. TV License) at the end of the day medical and health care is paid for... here, you get taxed by way of Medisave and now Annuity till you die...
... good? Hardly..! We're being robbed by legal means!
... I wouldn't agree that being rich, would make Singapore THE BEST place to live in; limited places of interests, over-crowding, are some of the reasons...
Assuming if your average income over 30 years is $50,000 per year. Your total income during that period will be $1,500,000. Suppose if you are paying 20% more tax than if you were in Singapore, you would be $300,000 "poorer" because of taxes.
Originally posted by TCH05:
Assuming if your average income over 30 years is $50,000 per year. Your total income during that period will be $1,500,000. Suppose if you are paying 20% more tax than if you were in Singapore, you would be $300,000 "poorer" because of taxes.
Taxes does not include only income tax.
Originally posted by HyperFocal:
... firstly, the Taxes we pay are for what in return?
- NOTHING. Unlike countries where Taxes may be high (Singapore's aren't low, just many eg. TV License) at the end of the day medical and health care is paid for... here, you get taxed by way of Medisave and now Annuity till you die...
... good? Hardly..! We're being robbed by legal means!
... I wouldn't agree that being rich, would make Singapore THE BEST place to live in; limited places of interests, over-crowding, are some of the reasons...
You might want to live in a country where you pay no taxes but build your own roads, buy your own generator, build your own street lamps, have your kids police the area for you and swim to Australia if you need a holiday.
Alternatively, increase the number of foreigners to 4-5 times the number of Singaporeans and have them pay your tax while you are guaranteed employment etc. Provided they come that is.
Originally posted by HyperFocal:
... firstly, the Taxes we pay are for what in return?
- NOTHING. Unlike countries where Taxes may be high (Singapore's aren't low, just many eg. TV License) at the end of the day medical and health care is paid for... here, you get taxed by way of Medisave and now Annuity till you die...
... good? Hardly..! We're being robbed by legal means!
... I wouldn't agree that being rich, would make Singapore THE BEST place to live in; limited places of interests, over-crowding, are some of the reasons...
firstly, the Taxes we pay are for what in return? ---> Pay for super high world class salary for greedy evil PAP. If these evil PAP don't keep increasing tax and impose charges for more ERPgantries and all other craps they will have problems remaining to be paid world class salary.
Singapore has one of the lowest income tax in the world :(
Tat means the richer is taxed lesser compared with other countries
But they do it to attract rich people to come to singapore
And all countries tax... because someone got to support the army, the police, the schools, the hospital, the infrastructure, the bureacracy to support law, public relations, customs, firemen, corruption bureau, prison, street lights, sewerage, garbage disposal etc
Singapore build a system which attract not only the rich, but the hardworking people, who want to succeed in life.
So we shouldnt be surprise that most of the people who complain about Singapore tax structures are indeed the lazy ones.
Originally posted by kramnave:
You might want to live in a country where you pay no taxes but build your own roads, buy your own generator, build your own street lamps, have your kids police the area for you and swim to Australia if you need a holiday.
Alternatively, increase the number of foreigners to 4-5 times the number of Singaporeans and have them pay your tax while you are guaranteed employment etc. Provided they come that is.
... we are not talking about not having to pay Taxes. We're talking about getting DECENT returns for the Taxes we pay...
Foreign Talents will one day cease to be the universal solution for Singapore's economy...
.... the true solution is for a change of government...
... the current one (being in power for too long) has become complacent themselves but blames the people for the escape of MSK, and every move they make to solve anything, drains more locals out of Singapore and those who can't leave becomes a liability they don't ever want to bear...
So you have it; FT Policy sees talented and educated locals out, while funnelling in by the thousands, lowly skilled & uneducated PRCs to replace them...
Originally posted by HyperFocal:
... we are not talking about not having to pay Taxes. We're talking about getting DECENT returns for the Taxes we pay...
Foreign Talents will one day cease to be the universal solution for Singapore's economy...
.... the true solution is for a change of government...
... the current one (being in power for too long) has become complacent themselves but blames the people for the escape of MSK, and every move they make to solve anything, drains more locals out of Singapore and those who can't leave becomes a liability they don't ever want to bear...
So you have it; FT Policy sees talented and educated locals out, while funnelling in by the thousands, lowly skilled & uneducated PRCs to replace them...
So whats a decent return ? the kind of welfare others get with our taxes ?
There are many others like you who say that the only solution is a change of government. Change to which government ? Who to form the government ? What have they promised you ? The only solution ?!
Still not too bad in Singapore considered how they spend your tax money maintaining the roads and keeping the city clean sometimes it is not always like that in other developed countries.Come to my town and you can still see pot holes in the streets and flourescent lights tied to wooden poles.
Originally posted by HyperFocal:
... we are not talking about not having to pay Taxes. We're talking about getting DECENT returns for the Taxes we pay...
Foreign Talents will one day cease to be the universal solution for Singapore's economy...
.... the true solution is for a change of government...
... the current one (being in power for too long) has become complacent themselves but blames the people for the escape of MSK, and every move they make to solve anything, drains more locals out of Singapore and those who can't leave becomes a liability they don't ever want to bear...
So you have it; FT Policy sees talented and educated locals out, while funnelling in by the thousands, lowly skilled & uneducated PRCs to replace them...
Tax payment is not an investment where you expect return! Singapore is not built with tax that you pay today. How much you pay? You pay tax for the services that run the society you live in, you pay GST when you make purchases (you don't pay if you don't buy), you pay road tax when you use the road (you don't pay if you don't drive).
Lowly skilled and uneducated workers here are not FT, but they provide some essential services to support Singaporean lifestyle where no Singaporean prepared to do. The FT who take your jobs are brought in by the MNC, dare not blame the angmoh?
Do you know this chinese words of wisdom, "qi lyu zhao ma", ride on the donkey while looking for a horse. Find out who can perform better before you make any changes to the government, or you prefer walking?
Originally posted by sgdiehard:Tax payment is not an investment where you expect return! Singapore is not built with tax that you pay today. How much you pay? You pay tax for the services that run the society you live in, you pay GST when you make purchases (you don't pay if you don't buy), you pay road tax when you use the road (you don't pay if you don't drive).
Lowly skilled and uneducated workers here are not FT, but they provide some essential services to support Singaporean lifestyle where no Singaporean prepared to do. The FT who take your jobs are brought in by the MNC, dare not blame the angmoh?
Do you know this chinese words of wisdom, "qi lyu zhao ma", ride on the donkey while looking for a horse. Find out who can perform better before you make any changes to the government, or you prefer walking?
.. I'm sure, you are capable of understanding my meaning of the term 'RETURNS'...
... sure we logically should pay for 'services that runs society we live in', of course we pay GST for whatever we purchase or NEED to purchase..
... here, I am saying the govt is profitteering like crazy from essential daily needs, taxing us all to hell, and in return, we still need this Lifelong Annuity crap to end our days...
... Tax for what? Feed the govt of course... THEY don't owe us a living, WHY should WE owe them such a highly paid living for a progressively frugal exitence as citizens???
source
http://redfist.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/the-reliably-unreliable-government/
The Reliably Unreliable Government
When reading an article (Straits Times, Saturday, April 4, 2008 - Prime pg.3) highlighting Mas Selamat’s escape and linking it to complacency, I can’t help but voice out the upsetting unfairness and…let’s face it…bullshit of the government.
Here is the golden response from MM Lee in an email interview:
“The people on the whole believed that the Government will take care of all security matters. But no government can be 100 percent on the ball 100 percent of the time. A government needs the active support and cooperation of the people.”
That’s what he said. And yet, how is it that the people is not rewarded the same way the government is? If indeed it is a collaborative effort to ensure the safety and security of this nation, and more so in the part of the people to be vigilant at all times, then why have the government so proudly raised their salaries without the people’s validation or approval and pat themselves on the back for doing such a good job? Since this Mas Selamat affair is a big deal and is a major compromise of Singapore’s security, then it’s only right and fair that the government decrease their ridiculous salaries for doing a shitty job. Don’t just blame it on the custodians. Ever since this whole mess started, we Singaporeans have yet to see any politician or state figure or high-ranking uniformed personnel stepping down because they’ve failed to re-apprehend Mas Selamat in a country that’s slightly over 647 sq km, where almost all exits have been tightly sealed.
Seriously, after all the claims of always delivering to the people and even having the cheek to act as consultant to countries like Russia when the government can’t even find one fugitive on this tiny island, is it still fair for the people? Is it still fair that the people have to tolerate the government’s high salaries when we are stuck with more taxes and 7% GST? Most importantly, is it still fair that after all the work the people have done, the government enjoys the fruits of our labor and let us fend for ourselves and ask we help them in cleaning up their mess, but when it comes to the glory, we have no say in it?
Seriously, is it fair?
Originally posted by sgdiehard:Tax payment is not an investment where you expect return! Singapore is not built with tax that you pay today. How much you pay? You pay tax for the services that run the society you live in, you pay GST when you make purchases (you don't pay if you don't buy), you pay road tax when you use the road (you don't pay if you don't drive).
Lowly skilled and uneducated workers here are not FT, but they provide some essential services to support Singaporean lifestyle where no Singaporean prepared to do. The FT who take your jobs are brought in by the MNC, dare not blame the angmoh?
Do you know this chinese words of wisdom, "qi lyu zhao ma", ride on the donkey while looking for a horse. Find out who can perform better before you make any changes to the government, or you prefer walking?
Umm.. taxes is a form of investment if you put it to good use.
If Singapore's infrastructure is not built with taxes.. then what ? Money that falls from the sky ?
Ok so we pay GST when we make purchases.. and where does this money goes to ?
With today's taxes.. . yes we pay to maintain the environments and pays for the services..
It is also use to improve or build better infrastructure be it structural, educational or lifestyle.
So, yes it's an investment. But are the people who handle our money putting it to good use ? Are we going to get a better Singapore in the future with our tax money?
The MNC can bring in the FT because no policy has been set in place to prevent them from doing so.
Corporations looks at $$$.. government is the one looking after the interests of her people.
If there is no balance.. we're.. pretty much.. screwed.
Originally posted by jojobeach:Umm.. taxes is a form of investment if you put it to good use.
If Singapore's infrastructure is not built with taxes.. then what ? Money that falls from the sky ?
Ok so we pay GST when we make purchases.. and where does this money goes to ?
With today's taxes.. . yes we pay to maintain the environments and pays for the services..
It is also use to improve or build better infrastructure be it structural, educational or lifestyle.
So, yes it's an investment. But are the people who handle our money putting it to good use ? Are we going to get a better Singapore in the future with our tax money?
The MNC can bring in the FT because no policy has been set in place to prevent them from doing so.
Corporations looks at $$$.. government is the one looking after the interests of her people.
If there is no balance.. we're.. pretty much.. screwed.
... all these people here who sings praises & sides the current ruling party, are blind to the doings of the govt.,
... staunchly believing in whatever policy implemented, but when the govt. screws up - they are nowhere to be seen in here... and no smart remarks either...
.. it is hard to support the infamous FAP, because the longer they cling on to power, the more they fark up...
... and in recent times, they are indeed farking up more frequently...
Originally posted by HyperFocal:
... all these people here who sings praises & sides the current ruling party, are blind to the doings of the govt.,... staunchly believing in whatever policy implemented, but when the govt. screws up - they are nowhere to be seen in here... and no smart remarks either...
.. it is hard to support the infamous FAP, because the longer they cling on to power, the more they fark up...
... and in recent times, they are indeed farking up more frequently...
I wouldn't fault them for being so gullible.
Afterall.. students tends to be impressionable.. having to deal only within an insulated society.
I don't deny I used to be like them. Until reality hits me squarely on my face.
And yes.. recently.. I really wonder what the heck SG gahmen is doing.
Time for LHL to resign I suppose.
And yes.. recently.. I really wonder what the heck SG gahmen is doing.
So you have been influenced by the people critical of PAP in this forum?
Originally posted by jojobeach:Umm.. taxes is a form of investment if you put it to good use.
If Singapore's infrastructure is not built with taxes.. then what ? Money that falls from the sky ?
Ok so we pay GST when we make purchases.. and where does this money goes to ?
With today's taxes.. . yes we pay to maintain the environments and pays for the services..
It is also use to improve or build better infrastructure be it structural, educational or lifestyle.
So, yes it's an investment. But are the people who handle our money putting it to good use ? Are we going to get a better Singapore in the future with our tax money?
The MNC can bring in the FT because no policy has been set in place to prevent them from doing so.
Corporations looks at $$$.. government is the one looking after the interests of her people.
If there is no balance.. we're.. pretty much.. screwed.
Money you have to depart with is not your money. if you don't decide how the money would be spent for the future, then that is not your investment. Tax payment is different from your CPF investment. Government's revenue is not your money. you can influence the way money is to be spent only via your vote to select the right government to handle the money. Even then, you don't always have what you wish. Not all american agree with the government's policy on iraq, not only money is spent, their young men are sent to fight other people's war!
the budget debate is just over, how government gets their revenue and how the money would be spent are all there. you may not like it, don't have to agree with it, what is good use to you may not be good use to others, you may even want to think that they were not telling the truth, there are ways through which you can question, but you are not likely to get any answer here in this forum.
MNC are free to recruit anybody, in Singapore and in many other countries, will stopping recruitment of foreigners help the locals? think again. The only organisations I believe MUST employ singaporeans are the government and related organizations, the civil service, the SAF....then the heads will know the problem of and with the locals. and in that way the government would be looking after its people, especially those who can't find jobs among the MNC. Prepared to sing the same song?
Public Accountability
Leong Sze Hian
In all the Parliamentary Debates, Singaporeans have never been told what the amount of our reserves is, by way of the Government Investment Corporation (GIC) and Temasek’s assets.
In the ChannelNewsAsia report,
“Young NTUC members ask wide range of questions at forum” (15 March 2008), it states that :
“The audience also got the answer to perhaps one of the biggest money question of them all.
Mrs Lim (Hwee Hua, Minister of State for Finance) said: “You asked how much reserves we have. I’m sorry – I am not able to give you that answer. There are many, many people who are interested in how much we have. It has nothing to do with not wanting Singaporeans to know. It’s only if we go public with you, a lot of other people will know.”
What harm can there be to disclose this information to Singaporeans? Wouldn’t it cause greater harm to Singapore’s reputation and standing by not disclosing?
Perhaps one possible reason I can think of may be that if we know the total assets, then it may have to continue to be disclosed every year. Then, we may be able to track the ups and downs of our investments and assets.
Are Budget surpluses and CPF added to the funds of GIC or Temasek? This is perhaps reminiscent of our late President Ong teng Cheong’s remarks, that when he asked for a listing of the nation’s assets, he was told it would take 54 man-years.
The Bloomberg News report (Mar 21),“Temasek Says It’s Not Affected by Paulson Pact on Wealth Funds”, states that “An agreement by government-run funds of Abu Dhabi and Singapore to increase transparency won’t shed more light on Temasek Holdings Pte’s $118 billion portfolio, because the company said it already meets disclosure guidelines.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said recently that funds, including the Government of Singapore Investment Corp, agreed to adopt rules for greater disclosure. Temasek, owned by Singapore’s finance ministry, said it already provides more information than government-run funds.
“Temasek is not a sovereign wealth fund,” spokesman Mark Lee said by telephone today…. Temasek has to sell assets to raise cash for new investments and doesn’t require the government to give approvals.”
“Temasek discloses a lot more than GIC and always has a strong sense of corporate governance,” Lee said. Paulson’s statement “will not have any impact,” he said.
The company seeks approval from a board consisting of independent directors and a representative from the Ministry of Finance, its only shareholder, Lee said.
Temasek in 2006 headed an investor group that bought almost all of the stock in a Thai telecommunications company from the family of then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, triggering a chain of events that led to the Thai premier’s ouster in a coup.
The company also faces opposition in neighboring Indonesia, where the antitrust regulator has accused it of using stakes in the nation’s two biggest mobile-phone companies to fix prices.
“Temasek is ultimately controlled by the government and it is not a private organization,” said Cohen of Action Economics. “Temasek has many similarities to GIC.” (Bloomberg)
So, “Temasek is not a sovereign wealth fund”? A sovereign wealth fund is accountable to the citizens of it’s country – is it or isn’t it?
Why is it that there is so much information in Singapore that is secret?
I attended the Human Rights and Trade programme conducted by UNSW in March/April 2008, and stumbled upon another “secret”.
Secret settlement - If all money recovered, why so secret?
I refer to the editorial “Singapore’s great civil servants” (BT, Dec 12), the articles “UNSW agrees to repay $32.3m” (ST, Dec 12), “Australian varsity agrees to settlement” (BT, Dec 12), and media reports about the settlement.
The EDB would not reveal the total amount or the repayment period. An EDB spokesman said, “We are bound by the terms of the agreement which are confidential”.
As it involves about $32 million of loans and grants, which are taxpayers’ money, shouldn’t there be more disclosure and transparency, since the question had been raised in Parliament ?
Since it has been reported that the media “understands that UNSW has agreed to repay the full $32.3 million worth of grants and loans”, why does EDB still maintain that “the terms of the agreement are confidential” ?
Isn’t EDB contradicting itself by saying that it would not reveal the total amount or the repayment period, but yet the media “understands that UNSW has agreed to repay the full $32.3 million worth of grants and loans” ?
As UNSW officials also declined to comment, how did the media obtain its understanding that UNSW has agreed to repay the full $32.3 million ?
What about the $30 million to remove steel and concrete pilings already driven into the university campus site, which earlier media reports had said that the university would have to pay ?
In line with the Government Investment Corporation’s (GIC) statement on 10 December, 2008, in conjunction with its $14 billion stake in UBS, that going forward, it would set an example for others to follow, in providing more disclosure and transparency, government agencies should also do the same.
Are not government agencies accountable to Parliament and Singaporeans, instead of saying that the terms of any agreements are confidential ?
Surely, the least that Singaporeans can expect of our world class civil service, is to be told how many cents out of every dollar in total, will be recovered, and how long it will take!
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:So you have been influenced by the people critical of PAP in this forum?
Not influenced.. rather.. in agreement..I do have my own eyes to see and own brain to think.. ya know ?
Not that.. they've been perfect before.. just that I have a limit to the amount of shyt I can take from the gahmen.
Originally posted by sgdiehard:
Money you have to depart with is not your money. if you don't decide how the money would be spent for the future, then that is not your investment. Tax payment is different from your CPF investment. Government's revenue is not your money. you can influence the way money is to be spent only via your vote to select the right government to handle the money. Even then, you don't always have what you wish. Not all american agree with the government's policy on iraq, not only money is spent, their young men are sent to fight other people's war!the budget debate is just over, how government gets their revenue and how the money would be spent are all there. you may not like it, don't have to agree with it, what is good use to you may not be good use to others, you may even want to think that they were not telling the truth, there are ways through which you can question, but you are not likely to get any answer here in this forum.
MNC are free to recruit anybody, in Singapore and in many other countries, will stopping recruitment of foreigners help the locals? think again. The only organisations I believe MUST employ singaporeans are the government and related organizations, the civil service, the SAF....then the heads will know the problem of and with the locals. and in that way the government would be looking after its people, especially those who can't find jobs among the MNC. Prepared to sing the same song?
Perhaps so.. if I can just force myself to believe that my taxes is just a fee I pay to live in SG.....
And yes.. we vote to choose who governs our life.. but I'd also like to have the right to impeach/fire lousy leaders ? Fair right ?
And.. if the government's revenue is not her people's money.. then who does it belong to ? LHL ? Lee family ?
Why is there no propositions for the people to choose how they want the money to be spent ? Shouldn't they let the public decide what the public want ?
I don't know what kind of song you want to me sing. but your tune is out of wack !..
A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within.-W.Durant