found something interesting..
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http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic42250-0-asc-15.html
I am not so sure about costs coming down, food is more or less flat but not coming down. As an expatriate on a local contract I find it increasingly unattractive staying here. For one, I have family in Europe that I want to visit once a year but this is also becoming more expensive. Flight ticket prices are increasing drastically, and if housing prices are going so high this will take a big chunk of money away and will eventually make me have to choose to either see my family regularly or to stay in Singapore. What would you choose? Not many Companies here pay housing allowance for a stay over 2 years, so having been here two years already I have to pay my own rent now. This efectively reduces my salary.
Dental treatment is horrendously expensive, medical treatment too, scools are expensive, I dont even think about getting a car here(the first country I have been in without a car)..... so this 'love it or leave' attitude is just adding to a list of reasons against staying here and is usually the last comment when nothing else constructive comes to mind.
The achievement of the founder leaders of Singapore has been remarkable, high housing costs can easily damage this achievement. Singapore only has human resources to work with. A large part of the population is getting old, younger generations dont want to start a family and guess why? increasing housing costs, dental costs, medical costs, schooling costs, etc, etc.... the government is already creating incentives for foreigners to come here, but those foreigners have to live somewhere and that somewhere is shooting up in price.
My suggestion would be to make it compulsory for owners to list property that is for rent or for sale together with the asking price. Also, why on earth is there a need to have two agents? The owner pays a fee to one agent and the tenant to the other? For what? Agents are some of the worst culprits for driving up housing costs because they work on a fee tied to value basis which give them plenty incentive to drive up the price. A better way would be a flat fee, decoupled from the price but tied to the level of service quality they provide. Then there would be no conflict of interest and there would still be competition. These agents would then compete against each other in terms of service quality..... good for the consumer and agent alike. -
LOL
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If your ideas can earn the government some money in the form of taxesor levies, you can be sure they will listen to you.
Really.
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not really just tat wor...hes a european if not wrong..FT are always right too..
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u sure cost of dental is cheaper in europe?