Singapore Matters

2022-05-20 07:24:27 Happy 81 young. Open / Comment

2022-05-19 11:29:58 ​​Fortunately, this is not how the Government works - depending on unexpected revenue windfall.

The Government practises prudence and prioritises spending carefully. In good times, they do not anyhow spend surpluses on policies to make themselves popular. Whenever they can, they save up.

Depending on unexpected windfall seems to be the way WP is guided in their decision. In pre-covid time, the WP pointed to unexpected surplus in one particular year as reason to oppose the GST hike.

Hey, if you have unexpected windfall, you can also have unexpected losses. Policy making can never depend on unexpected windfall. Otherwise, if there is no unexpected windfall, what will happen?

The Singapore Government has already said that they are monitoring the situation of rising costs closely and if more needs to be done, they will do it.

It will be good for the WP MPs to familiarise themselves with all existing measures which are gradually being implemented so that they will impart a sense of assurance to their residents instead of leaving them in despair after house visits.

Such measures include CDC vouchers, additional GST U-save vouchers whichbare disbursed quarterly, enhanced GST Cash for seniors, ADDITIONAL Edusave top up for Singaporean children. These are just some of the measures in place. Open / Comment

2022-05-19 07:45:37 It's funny how opposition supporters will not give ministers' salaries a rest.

What they need to do is to wake up to the realisation that the WP's recommendation for ministers' salaries is just as 'obscene and atrocious'.

In fact, their recommendation is even 'more obscene and atrocious' as their formula guarantees that a WP minister will be paid at least 81% of their pay even if they do not perform or under-perform, or run the economy down the drain. Open / Comment

2022-05-17 12:06:12 Singapore’s gross national debt is 6th highest in the world but no one is batting an eyelid.

The Singapore Government has a strong balance sheet, with assets well in excess of its liabilities. The country has a net debt-to-GDP ratio of 0%. (i.e. no net debt). Singapore is, in fact, a net creditor country. It borrows to invest, not to spend.

That its assets far outweigh its liabilities can be seen in the NIRC (Net Investment Returns Contribution) taken into the budget for spending each year. If the Government’s assets had not been adequate to meet its liabilities, there would be no NIRC to fund the Government Budget.

#creditrating #liabilities #nationaldebt #NIRC

https://sgmatters.com/singapores-gross-national-debt-is-6th-highest-in-the-world-but-no-one-is-batting-an-eyelid/ Open / Comment

2022-05-17 06:09:13 Flexible work arrangement is the new normal.

MOM surveys show that the majority of employers are keen to continue flexible work arrangements even after the pandemic ends, given the benefits that these initiatives bring to both employers and employees.

Tripartite partners - MOM, Singapore National Employers Federation and National Trades Union Congress have also called for practices such as working from home and staggered hours at the workplace to be made permanent.

As Manpower Minister Dr Tan See Leng had already said, there is no legal impediment to implementing a 4-day work week. Any employer may pilot the scheme if they so wish. Open / Comment

2022-05-16 05:30:42 HDB to buy back flats from owners constrained by ethnic (EIP) quotas

Fret not! HDB will offer to buy back flats from owners who face difficulties selling them due to the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) quotas.

“This is not a decision that we make lightly, because it requires significant Government resources. But we believe it is the right thing to do, because the EIP benefits all of us and helps to foster a more cohesive society,” Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said.

#DesmondLee #EIP #ethnicquota #HDB #MND

https://sgmatters.com/hdb-to-buy-back-flats-from-owners-constrained-by-ethnic-eip-quotas/ Open / Comment

2022-05-14 17:27:49 GST from tourists. Why not? In 2019, tourism receipts was $27.7 billion

Now that our borders are open, tourists will start to come back and we will be able to collect revenue from tourists’ spending through the GST.

In pre-COVID time, the bulk of net GST collected came from tourists and foreigners residing here, in addition to high income earners. At least 60% in fact. 19 million tourists visited Singapore in 2019 with a total tourism receipts of $S27.7 billion. Think of the net GST collected. Why object to a GST hike and deny ourselves the additional revenue we could collect from tourists who come here to spend?



#GST #GSThike #progressivetaxsystem #PSP #revenue #wealthtax #WP

https://sgmatters.com/gst-from-tourists-why-not-in-2019-tourism-receipts-was-27-7-billion/ Open / Comment

2022-05-14 06:01:20 GST from tourists. Why not? In 2019, tourism receipts was $27.7 billion

Now that our borders are open, tourists will start to come back and we will be able to collect revenue from tourists’ spending through the GST.

In pre-COVID time, the bulk of net GST collected came from tourists and foreigners residing here, in addition to high income earners. At least 60% in fact. 19 million tourists visited Singapore in 2019 with a total tourism receipts of $S27.7 billion. Think of the net GST collected. Why object to a GST hike and deny ourselves the additional revenue we could collect from tourists who come here to spend?



#GST #GSThike #progressivetaxsystem #PSP #revenue #wealthtax #WP

https://mail.sgmatters.com/gst-from-tourists-why-not-in-2019-tourism-receipts-was-27-7-billion/ Open / Comment

2022-05-13 10:45:10 Last May, WP Jamus Lim and Louis Chua argued that the definition of 'infrastructure' should be expanded to include 'soft infrastructure' like human capital. Specifically, Jamus was suggesting that the government borrows to fund education spending.

‘Soft infrastucture’ is a nice name to coin, It makes for an alluring, populist argument to argue for borrowing instead of collecting taxes to fund public services. But if clear lines are not drawn in defining ‘infrastructure’, then almost anything from defence, to cybersecurity, health care, education and social spending could be described as “soft infrastructure” spending as these are all about human capital.

Borrowing for education, as suggested by WP, is a bad idea as education is a recurring expenditure, not a one-time expenditure. Borrowing continuosly for it will lead to every higher debts which have to be repaid with taxes.

https://sgmatters.com/can-singapore-borrow-to-fund-soft-capital-like-education-jamus-lim/ Open / Comment

2022-05-12 09:12:24 ​​Another falsehood exposed. They like to portray the government as 'uncaring'. This time, it is ftom Gilbert Goh.

On 24 April 2022, Gilbert Goh published a Facebook post featuring an appeal he purportedly received from “A”, who claimed that there was “no one she can turn to” for help and that she needed urgent financial assistance for herself and her partner, as well as adult diapers, transportation, and food.

But the true facts are:

Mdm A has been receiving ComCare assistance from MSF since June 2015 without any pause in monthly assistance.

Her partner has been receiving ComCare assistance for various periods since June 2015. His last assistance period was from October 2021 to March 2022. It was renewed from April to September 2022.

In addition, Mdm A and her partner also receive financial and non-financial help from other agencies and community partners, including the Agency for Integrated Care, MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore), Tan Tock Seng Hospital, THK Family Service Centre @ MacPherson and Home Nursing Foundation.

𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗠𝗱𝗺 𝗔 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 $𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗦𝗙 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵. This includes cash, rental assistance, assistance for service and conservancy charges, utility assistance and Public Healthcare Assistance.

The false statement in Goh’s post gives the impression that MSF and other agencies are not aware of, or are not doing anything about, Mdm A’s situation. This is not the case, and it is important to set the facts straight. Such false statements erode public trust and lead to misunderstanding about the support and assistance provided to families in need by MSF and other agencies. Open / Comment