What is their objection?

Of course they will not agree to lower the taxes which then will lower their earnings and then later their daylight robbery salaries would be affected so badly that they are enable to think properly every day worrying them sick, and then they will not be able to put their interest into protecting their very own MIW party there resulting in their ability to govern the nation efficiently. What else do you expect them to tell you the real answer? how many or in which country will you ever know of any politicians ever tell you the truth in what they are actually doing?

The export economy issue… sell to singaporeans only yao yao si loh, sell to ppl other than singaporeans is called tourism ($300 prawns) and exporting wat.

we have enough consumers to drive growth meh? somemore we all also so chow kuan, got money only buy imported goods… other than petrol which other thing you buy is really made (refined) in singapore?

no choice one lah. we are a country in a pretty much LPPL situation since lao li was seen crying on TV.

ok so here’s my answers:

#1 So does having foreign talents in Singapore help?
- Yes, i think more ppl better. i think the orang laut also had the same complain last time when the coolie started coming in….

#1 Does paying our ministers astronomical salaries help Singapore?
- pay so high job so good i also dun see you trying to be minister… this one go so high because of suply and demand wat. they cannot tell you only or no lagi nobody want to do.

#2 we have been too reliant on the US economy.
- world’s largest economy you dun want a slice of the pie meh… we also try number 2 but kenah ketok…. number 3 also export economy, number 4 very unionized…. neighbours all so poor…. not much choice…

#3 It was the Geograhhical Location takened advantage of
-still need the ppl mah, you these days ship cannot go past singapore to somwhere else, need shelter from monsoon meh. is “the singapore system” that keeps them coming back for more…
panama also good location but dun have so many kids with DS lite and PSP leh…. why ah?

#4 And the solution discovered over 40 years is ….? what is the solution?
- create a greater consumer economy. greater consumer economy need more ppl. 2 ways to get more ppl. make or import. we dun make fast enough so have to import loh. then import ppl complain…. how?

#5 Hindsight, we should have downplay our ego and be better & more cordial neighbours with our asean friends, esp Indonesia
- we best friends with Indonesia noe… all their suharto money is here, we still goin to help them lagi with the new thing coming up in the end of this year…

#13 Wow, i din know Expprt model can have such a problem.how many understand this problem? Retire?
-solution… PCC less, KTV less go home make kids more, take more tax rebate.

#26 Why is the government pretending to be concerned coming up with paper suggestions that look impressive but does not work?
- they are genuine one…. they get paid from money that they tax from us wat. we no money they no tax , they no tax also no pay wat. really want to help you, reason for helping i dunno lah.

#32 Won’t lowering the above have IMMEDIATE effect?
-not really. give you money you spend all end up going out of the country via esso, shell, caltex, Louis vutton, air pork, mc donalds, sony… garhmen keep the money give to chip eng send do upgrade at least multiplier effect get one more cycle. workers all take money buy singtel/starhub phone cards.

#32 But for sure, that too will bring costs down in the long run.
- cost is not so much an issue if you are not earning.

#32 What is all the Job Credit stuff?
- this is your chance to get rich quick if you saw the opportunity early. now too late already.

#32 What is this “you should negotiate with your landlord” thing?
- secret message telling you they won’t help the landlords.

#32 What is all this dipping into our reserves thing?
- where else to get money? IMF meh? or we do an iceland borrow rom moscow lah. putin sure lend us one i think we colatralize the whole country can get AAA ratings.

#40 What is keeping the government from lowering fuel tax, ERP rates, car park rates, rental rates, conservancy rates and GST? They will face problems when they want to launch future policies? How so? Wasn’t it a stroke of pen that caused those taxes to be raised in the first place?
- you start of recession only all your pattern come out when it worsen what will you have left to appease the public? you tactic no good wat.

#40 Isn’t it always by the stroke of the pen new policies are created?
- no… dinner table gao dim sai no need pen one.

#40 What difficulties are you talking about?
- faher and son also will argue one wat. everything so smooth meh?

#40 So what exactly is the government’s objection to lowering all those taxes and rates I mentioned?
- problem is they think you dunno where to spend it and no matter how much you have available to spend it is not going to help the general economy beacuse….
we are and export economy…..
The plan is to tong as long as we can so that when the rest start coming up we are as ready as possible to catch the wave. let you send all your worker learn new pattern they pay school fees and half salary sound like good deal wat.

gahmen policy is macro one. we get too attached to it will feel very un luved one.

they say dun give you only complain on website… sit around complain complain. so many other ways to help dun want. come here complain.
start union and fight retrenchment and retirement benefits lah. then we can have repeat the UAW saga and make ourselves irrelevant to the rest of the world.

sound like good plan.

Hehehe, if you are in a comfortable protected position where you are benefitting from the system much much more than the others, you will be as cool as a piece of dry ice and it is easier to make smug remarks on others who may be irritated and aggressive as they see themselves having to suffer from having to contribute in upkeeping your comfortable portected position while not getting justifiable returns. maybe you are not one of those that I am referring but you do sound so close like them.

I have addressed the points you both raised in http://www.transitioning.org/?p=624 instead of here because the unemployed among us should have the benefit of the clarity this discussion has brought. I for one, found it beneficial.

All I am asking is what is wrong with lowering taxes on fuel, utilities, ERP rates etc, as a measure to help out SMEs. What is so aggressive about that?

Now you say you don’t have any idea. Fine. I accept. But you didn’t say it earlier, did you? So I naturally re-question you. You call that aggressive?

I do not expect any logical answers from the government to my questions. They will always siam such questions.

My purpose of this post is to highlight how simple the issue can be resolved, yet the government makes it like you need to have a double PhD to solve it. I, for one, never believe that our ministers and top civil servants deserve the high pay. Putting it simply, they can’t think. So all the high pay to attract is horse-sh*t.

>> Conclusion I get from my discussion in this thread (my first and last in TOC) is that there are indeed differences between those who can DO big things in the real world, and those who only know how to TALK big in the cyber world only!
>>

Agreed. Has not PAP been over-talking lately?

PS – if you read my blog posts, more than 50% is directed at the government’s inability to think.

No, solo bear dont sound very irritated and aggressive. You seems to be making assumptions.

” . . . (no point just posting here and waste your super-talented mind in immediately fixing Singapore’s economy and the current crisis), and please be as gutsy as your choice of words towards a ikan-bilis like me here.

Conclusion I get from my discussion in this thread (my first and last in TOC) is that there are indeed differences between those who can DO big things in the real world, and those who only know how to TALK big in the cyber world only!

Sorry if I had irritated you and your righteous views, but there’s no point to engage in any further discussion on this topic anymore, and I will rest my case with this last posting. Sayonara for good! ”

These are superficial humility and false humbleness

I do not have any answers for your questions, I am not MM, SM or PM, and certainly not a civil servant (as you claimed so) that possess any authorities in implementing any policies, so keep your fiery rhetoric and channel it to SM, MM and PM (no point just posting here and waste your super-talented mind in immediately fixing Singapore’s economy and the current crisis), and please be as gutsy as your choice of words towards a ikan-bilis like me here.

Conclusion I get from my discussion in this thread (my first and last in TOC) is that there are indeed differences between those who can DO big things in the real world, and those who only know how to TALK big in the cyber world only!

Sorry if I had irritated you and your righteous views, but there’s no point to engage in any further discussion on this topic anymore, and I will rest my case with this last posting. Sayonara for good!

My post was in reply to truthwillprevail on the point of helping SMEs. Your point about rebates is about helping INDIVIDUALS to cope with the downturn. You are bringing up an irrelevant point to address the issue of helping SMEs.

On your point of job creation. You are out of touch. Job creation was the issue from 1970s to 1990s. Now the issue is not job creation but JOB PRESERVATION. To preserve the current jobs, you must preserve the current companies, SMEs included.

By reducing tax on fuel, ERP rates, rental rates etc, you help companies reduce their costs. When you reduce their costs, they remain operationally viable. When they remain operationally viable, they need to keep their current staff to keep the company going. People then get to keep their jobs. That is my point.

All the job credits, negotiating with your landlords, blah, blah, does not guarantee that operational costs will go down. However, FOR SURE, when petrol taxes, ERP and rental rates go down, operational costs WILL go down – IMMEDIATELY.

That is my point. Plain and simple. Why is the government not doing that?

Truthwillprevail,

I said you sound like a civil servant. That’s why I suspected you work for the civil service.

All right, so you say my suggestion is only for the short term. Good! Then implement them NOW – to get the short term effects – and then implement the long-winded suggestions by the government which will take months or years to see if that takes effect.

Any objections to that? What is keeping the government from lowering fuel tax, ERP rates, car park rates, rental rates, conservancy rates and GST? They will face problems when they want to launch future policies? How so? Wasn’t it a stroke of pen that caused those taxes to be raised in the first place? Isn’t it always by the stroke of the pen new policies are created? What difficulties are you talking about?

Excuse me, but you really DO sound like a civil servant!

So what exactly is the government’s objection to lowering all those taxes and rates I mentioned?

Incidentally, are your aware that the government had dispatched “consultants” to the various business and industry associations to explain and explore how these associations can help their members to have a deeper understanding and thus, maximize the utilization status of the stimulus package. I should be attending one such seminar the week after, and I will share with all how the government position the various packages specifically for the SMEs, and we can again discuss whether it will be useful and effecive for the SMEs.

#32 solo bear – I am not a civil servant…strange, what makes you said that? Anyway, my thoughts are in-line with Melany’s views (#38), but I do concur with you that for the short term, those suggestions you’ve made could be very attractive for PAP to score points with Singaporeans.

In the long term however, it may create implementation problems and obstacles for the government when they want to launch other future initiatives or policies, so, my guess is that it is unlikely that the government will cut or reduce all the various fees, rates or tax. But if they can be successful in creating or keeping jobs at hand, then at least, it will still help. Let’s see…

In addition, your suggestions (while likely to be welcome by many) can only merely lower the cost of living, but not too much, cos:

1) If you are out of job, you would not be buying too many things (so GST does not mean much)
2) You are likely to sell away your car (so not bother by ERP and car-park fees)

The emcompassing solutions that governments must prioritize at this very moment is really to create job for Singaporeans, so as to ensure a stable society and continuous consumptions, which is one of the foremost cornerstone if we need to recover from this crisis.

perhaps, LHL and all his cabinet members should consult you for more bright ideas in getting IMMEDIATE results, instead of relying on all those scholars and elites that were being paid such high salary! It is a sin to waste such a great resource like you! I had forwarded your comments to all these 3 top gun and hopefully, they will adopt your suggestions!

I am sure they will be drooling when they see how great and bright your ideas can be!

Hip Hip Hurray (3x)!!

The issue is not whether or not the Singapore government has done enough to help SMEs but whether the Singapore government has benchmarked themselves against what other governments have done, successfully (and mind you at an enviable cost of only 3% of the benefit) to help their private enterprises to create jobs.

I suggest you visit http://www.transitioning.org/?p=624 and read the article and comments found there

I’m a taxpayer and I demand that our government account to us whether the Singapore government has investigate what others have done successful. If not, why not and what are and should be the conswequences? Let me quote one ot the comments found in the link I gave you:-

“maybe it’s time again to check if our civil servants have been failing us. Yes, again. This time we don’t have to wait and pray that no harm will come our way. Some people’s livelihood is in the course of, if not already destroyed and more are being threatened”.

The problem is that the people of other more democratic countries have a system to make sure that their ruling elites are held accountable if this is so. when you are compensated so much more than the other governments on planet Earth, you need to be exceptionally magical. You cannot still have the cake and eat it comes rain or shine.

Hello, japanese leaders resign to take responsibilties. Their TV stations and news report are much much freer and they may even retract and apologise when necessary. Do you know the kind of games that Japanese play openly in open public – it will put you to shame. In Asia, you need to beat the Japanese first even before you even talk about some first world european countries.

“would the media and news commentators of the world second largest economy make such a call to their government??”

The world second largest economy is doing a lot of other things. Are we following them also. remember WSJ, so what has happened to them – they are from the world largest economy.

Meant to say – that would help business THAT RENT FROM HDB a lot.

Somehow I have a feeling you are working for the civil service. You sound like one anyway.

Why do we need to have programmes that have time lag to see if they work or not? Why can’t we have actions will work IMMEDIATELY? What is the government’s objection to lowering:-

- petrol and diesel taxes
- ERP rates
- car park rates
- rental rates
- conservancy rates (that will help HDB businesses a lot)

Won’t lowering the above have IMMEDIATE effect?

Lowering GST may take some admin work. That may have a time lag. But for sure, that too will bring costs down in the long run.

What is all the Job Credit stuff? What is this “you should negotiate with your landlord” thing? What is all this dipping into our reserves thing?

Can’t the highly paid ministers and civil servants see? You don’t need to be a President’s Scholar to understand the above. So what is preventing the government from lowering all the taxes and rates suggested IMMEDIATELY?

What is their objection?

I agreed with #22 TruthWillPrevail, we failed to acknowledge the government’s effective policies which provided Singaporeans with so many years of good times (and simply brush it as their duty to do so), but when times are bad, we will shoot every available blames (or even inventing many such craps that are not true) at the government, whether or not such blames were justifiable.

If indeed it was the Singapore government’s fault alone for the lost in billions of reserve, then perhaps, all governments on planet Earth had failed miserably and disastrously, as all had already lost billions (or trillions) in their respective reserves.

It is important to see what the government is doing to help its citizen, and just this morning, TV stations and news report in Japan had urged the Japanese government to take a leaf from the stimulus package the Singapore government had implemented, as it is perhaps the most practical approach both from a short and long term perspective.

If Singapore government had been ineffective in what they are trying to do in helping Singaporeans to overcome the current crisis, would the media and news commentators of the world second largest economy make such a call to their government?? Please, let’s be rational and let’s at least give the government the time and space to do the necessity, and we can all be the judge to determine whether or not they have been effective in dealing with this crisis.

Remember, we have our votes on hand to show our discontent and dissatisfaction, if indeed PAP fails!