GST up to 7%

[josho]

I believe it is due to the how every election many areas are not contested. The remaining ones... well seems there is a urban myth that plays to the ruling party's advantage. The myth is that you vote is not secret, and that the party can trace who you voted for. One of the few things that contributed to the myth is the presence of serial numbers on each voting slip.

The myth goes like this, if you are civil servant, you will get blacklisted and no promotion if you vote for opposition, if you are normal citizen, you will be put on a watch list and listed as possible security risk (or disloyal to nation) and hence barred from govt jobs.

That is why you have so many people who are unhappy but during elections when you ask them who you voted for that is if they have a chance to vote. "Of course *** lah!!! Voting Slip got serial number.. later vote against them, get arrested or become bankrupt like Chee!!"

hence this fear makes people vote for ruling party whether they like it or not.

I strongly think its not secret. They still shout ur name so loud while u collect the vote slip... pengz.... Serial number is to check who u r.. I kinda forget one thing... those who never vote will get fine, right??? Am I right? If it is, then Voting is not secret anymore.. Not holy. :devil:

 

[germ_boi]

isnt that the point of a degree? to get a good job? but nowadays everyone is a graduate

 

[yanyewkay]

someone actually set this up..

http://www.gsthike.com/

 

[centuryegg]

The issue of income redistribution and trust in the g'ment aside, I find the attitude of some of the forumers really disappointing. I mean, if you are spending thousands on a hobby, surfing the internet on your own home computer, I hardly think you can consider yourself to be 'struggling'. If you are in that category, and are threatening to use your vote to press your case to reduce the GST, against g'ment objectives, then, I say, uncharitably, that you are stealing money from the poor.

PM Lee has stated that he needs it to pursue welfare policies. Whether it will work this way is of course a matter of debate. However, that is the point to debate. Folk who are selfishly considering only their own point of view, without due consideration for those the g'ment are truly trying to help, should be opposed at all cost. How many of the bottom 10% are here in a PHOTOGRAPHY forum to represent their point of view this early morning? You guys here travelling to Bangkok/Perth/Rome for a photo expedition, yelling at the top of your voice, what exactly are you complaining about? That f2.8 tele now $40 more than before?

I'm sorry, the 66.6% have got it smack-on right, thankfully for SG you guys are in the minority.

The problem is that the people are losing faith in the party..... Correct me if I am wrong and I am not making any accusations lest I get sue for defamation. The people one the ground are still very much struggling with their daily living expenses. However what we have is increases in prices here and there. Transport fees increase, now GST increases. For the lower income or middle income who have lots of committments such as flat, car, children etc. Every dollar adds up.

I think the unhappiness is how things have been run recently. Despite our employer CPF contribution not restored, our ministers have had their pays reinstated.... Frankly their pay is so high, would another few more months of pay cut hurt? Especially when the rest of us are still struggling. For our transport system, we have often overcrowded buses, buses that take years to come... and what happens? Those who cant afford to drive end up having to spend so much time on transport because of an transport system that is profit driven and not about the needs of its users. To add injury to insult, the transport companies make record profit.... and still insist that they must increase prices.

Govt always saying no welfare, people must take care of themselves. And we will leave no one behind... the problem is people have already been left behind.....

 

[furrycake]

I strongly think its not secret. They still shout ur name so loud while u collect the vote slip... pengz.... Serial number is to check who u r.. I kinda forget one thing... those who never vote will get fine, right??? Am I right? If it is, then Voting is not secret anymore.. Not holy. :devil:

they even announced the age grp that voted for them after everything. secret their head.

 

[deckard]

isnt that the point of a degree? to get a good job? but nowadays everyone is a graduate

:thumbsup: Right!! now every tom dick and harry is a degree holder!! degree holder not so big anymore :cry:

 

[satay16]

someone actually set this up..

http://www.gsthike.com/

woah. later kana sued like the "1mil frowns) guy.

 

[yanyewkay]

The problem is that the people are losing faith in the party..... Correct me if I am wrong and I am not making any accusations lest I get sue for defamation. The people one the ground are still very much struggling with their daily living expenses. However what we have is increases in prices here and there. Transport fees increase, now GST increases. For the lower income or middle income who have lots of committments such as flat, car, children etc. Every dollar adds up.

I think the unhappiness is how things have been run recently. Despite our employer CPF contribution not restored, our ministers have had their pays reinstated.... Frankly their pay is so high, would another few more months of pay cut hurt? Especially when the rest of us are still struggling. For our transport system, we have often overcrowded buses, buses that take years to come... and what happens? Those who cant afford to drive end up having to spend so much time on transport because of an transport system that is profit driven and not about the needs of its users. To add injury to insult, the transport companies make record profit.... and still insist that they must increase prices.

Govt always saying no welfare, people must take care of themselves. And we will leave no one behind... the problem is people have already been left behind.....

wait.. according to a survey done.. the public transport system is not fully utilised even during peak hours! They encourage more public transport use! How can you say the buses are packed?

 

[centuryegg]

wait.. according to a survey done.. the public transport system is not fully utilised even during peak hours! They encourage more public transport use! How can you say the buses are packed?

Try checking out the buses at 6 to 7pm...... packed like sardines... sometimes bus driver even close door on passengers or bypass stops. haha.

 

[josho]

wait.. according to a survey done.. the public transport system is not fully utilised even during peak hours! They encourage more public transport use! How can you say the buses are packed?

Everyday I have to stand lor.... Its always pack... depending where u board the bus.... Some bus, u can see small dead cockroaches. While raining, u see leaking... hmm better bus services? Haiz... In near future, i think getting myself a bike can par with the cost of taking public tpt

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

The world is going backwards at a much faster pace than it used to be.

With technology advances, countries opening up, the simple human logic goes - Why must I buy from another country when I can produce it myself and cut costs?

The other country sees that others are producing it at a lower cost and outsources productions eventually leading to a rise in economy for the other country and when carried out too drastically, the country that outsources work in turn suffers domestically.

Raising taxes and stuff are all linked (and not mutually exclusive to Singapore) if we were to strip all the nitty-gritty bits away and looking at the problem down in the root. I'm wondering at some appalling mentality of carrying the idea of 'living a good life' right to the extremes - the mindless pursuit of 5Cs and living out caught in a debt of high lives, expenses & hobbies.

ya was thinking of that, due to globalisation, i think alot of companies are closing down... like it or not, this will further hurt local manufacturing companies that have not globalised, and more ppl will lose their jobs with it... there is more companies moving to indonesia, thailand & malaysia for manufacturing, and once they are gone, the next is the support companies then the service companies... all gone, all left to eat grass... provided still got grass on the concrete floor...

 

[reminisce]

i don't like the implied reason that the hike is blamed on the poor people. "need to help poor, so gst must go up"

no mention of any other possible reasons.

no mention of what happened in Thailand.

:thumbsd: :thumbsd: :thumbsd:

 

[yanyewkay]

Everyday I have to stand lor.... Its always pack... depending where u board the bus.... Some bus, u can see small dead cockroaches. While raining, u see leaking... hmm better bus services? Haiz... In near future, i think getting myself a bike can par with the cost of taking public tpt

get a cheap 2nd hand bike, it's waaaaay cheaper than taking public. I haven't taken public tpt for many many years already. My yearly transport (bike,based on my current lifestyle) expenditure + road tax + insurance + season parking + daily parking at work place is less than $900.

It saves me time and agony.

edit: actually bike has my own set of agony.. cannot do this cannot do that.. zhng too fleshy, paint work too fierce become target at road blocks. sianz... add lights here and there kenna catch by LTA... tinted visor becasue the sun is too bright.. cannot due to safety reasons.. exhaust a bit loud also cannot but harley davidson can..

 

[yanyewkay]

i don't like the implied reason that the hike is blamed on the poor people. "need to help poor, so gst must go up"

no mention of any other possible reasons.

no mention of what happened in Thailand.

:thumbsd: :thumbsd: :thumbsd:

just like.. not enough babies...

 

[VR Man]

Calfornia's VAT or GST is 7.25%

Soon Singapore's GST is 7%

Is Singapore anywhere near California in terms of overall standard of living?

California Dreaming ...

 

[josho]

get a cheap 2nd hand bike, it's waaaaay cheaper than taking public. I haven't taken public tpt for many many years already. My yearly transport (bike,based on my current lifestyle) expenditure + road tax + insurance + season parking + daily parking at work place is less than $900.

It saves me time and agony.

edit: actually bike has my own set of agony.. cannot do this cannot do that.. zhng too fleshy, paint work too fierce become target at road blocks. sianz... add lights here and there kenna catch by LTA... tinted visor becasue the sun is too bright.. cannot due to safety reasons.. exhaust a bit loud also cannot but harley davidson can..

Haha! Thats when why the LTA wanna earn money from you.... Therefore, legal racing pipe is ok but you must pay the price. Everything is abt $$$...

 

[jesser]

i don't like the implied reason that the hike is blamed on the poor people. "need to help poor, so gst must go up"

no mention of any other possible reasons.

no mention of what happened in Thailand.

:thumbsd: :thumbsd: :thumbsd:

straight forward saying is.......
"you want loan $500 from me......can, lean me $700 first...."
:thumbsd: :thumbsd:

 

[MDZ2]

Sometimes we forget that our tax is low compared to other countries because it is distributed, so in some cases you actually pay it twice. when you turn on the tap, you pay for using precious commodity, then you pay for delivery and finally you pay for it to be sent out of you house. You buy a car, you pay for the right to own it, then you pay for the right to use it, and then pay for more rights to use it at certain places. In a lot of countries where the income tax or gst is high, I think this is about most of the tax that they pay (I could be wrong). Perhaps a more realistic comparison is to calculate actual cost of living at a comparable standard of living.
Maybe its a fact that a country like ours with a relatively small population with no natural resources will uniquely need 'poor' rich citizens who are cheap and a rich government(country) in order to compete with the world . What I do not accept is the unfair comparisons used to justify these changes. Ie when talking about pay, we are among the highest of the poorer nations while we compare our lowest taxes with those of the rich countries.
In all fairness, I am sure many singaporeans can appreciate, to some extent, the need for a much larger national reserve. But it is the way in which it is presented that grates most of us. Unfortunately, the knee jerk anger kind of blows things a little out of proportion.

In the end I have to say that I am neither for nor against the increase for lack of knowledge of the full mechanics of it. But I must say that I am definitely not happy about it. Not because I can't afford it, but because there is nothing transparent about it to justify its necessity....just the word from the ruling party.

 

[Francis247]

As the saying goes,"When you are hungry, Big Brother give you a drumstick for $0.70, but later wants a whole chicken back for $7.00"

 

[reno77]

At this rate, In another 20 years we'll have 17% GST like UK, but without any of the social welfare benefits.