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What if the police comes along and arrest the disabled for displaying their art works between Citylink Mall and the Esplanade because this public displays can constitue to be a protest of some sort as it “promotes a cause.”
Just imagine fully armed RIOT POICE putting 10 to 15 of the blind and disabled poople on wheel chairs into the police vans. The police pulls down the art work and no reporters can report on this incident because it is unlawfull in Singapore to take snaps or recording of “illegal activities.”
Will this happen? And if it really happens, do Singaporeans care, let alone take actions to help the disabled?
Singapore is indeed in a very sad stage.
In Edmononton, Alberta, Canada my special needs daughter who was born in Singapore 21 years ago, receives a 50% discount on her monthly unlimted transit bus (bus and underground train); she pays only $35.50.
Most of the time, she can get full subsidy for all kinds of course she want to attend…music, higer studies, martial arts, swimming etc.
She receives a monthly allowance of about Can$1,150 (Sin $1,400) and free health and dental care. Yes, all drugs, all specialists’ treatment and hospitalization are free. Free prescription glasses every two years…subject to maximum of Can$300 and the eye exam is 100% free.
She works 1 to 2 days a week in the Dollar Rama shop at Can$9.60 per hour and earns about $400 more per month. As the total income is below personal tax allowance, she does not need to pay tax. In fact every quarterly, she is given GST tax rebate by the Federal government.
If she wants, the agency for disabled people can provide her an case officier to bring her out to socialize or just go out for a show to keep her accompanied.
She lives with us and she has her own room. She can affort to have a new high defination T.V. and a Dell computer to surf internet and new full set of furniture.
She enjoys watching the ice hockey and supports her favourite team, the Oilers. Occassional she watch the games live in the stadium.
In other words, she can be a “normal human” who can live in dignity and self-respect. Every day we as parents are very grateful to the Alberta and Canadian government and we do not mind paying our share of taxes. In fact I tell my Canada born son, who is 13 1/2 years old, that it is a very great honour to pay the Canadian tax.
If we have not immigrated to Canada, I dare not imagine the life my poor daughter is going though under Lee Kuan Yew and his son.
What if the police comes along and arrest the disabled for displaying their art works between Citylink Mall and the Esplanade because this public displays can constitue to be a protest of some sort as it “promotes a cause.”
I will have to disagree that overall one pays more taxes in Canada than in Singapore. In fact, let’s enumerate the direct and not so direct taxes in Singapore:
1. Income tax. Whether it is intended or not, the tweaking, in favor of the GST, will make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
2. Corporate tax. For those who own businesses, there are generous schemes to transfer the tax burden from operations to the consumer through GST.
3. All kinds of business licensing.
4. GST/CESS
5. Property tax
6. Stamp duty for property transactions
7. Car taxes and COE (this is a big one for doing basic counting, even then LTA manages to screw up: ridiculous increase in the vehicular population!).
8. Road tax (and additionally ERP)
9. Petrol/diesel tax
10. Utilities and transport. One can make a case that these items incur indirect taxes to the People. By virtue of the structural monopoly, the consumers have been over-paying for electricity and transport relative to say CPI.
11. Toilet fixtures. This is collected through the SP Services bill. If one works through the numbers, it should be an over-collection for plain sewage services, hence I regard that as a tax.
12. Water conservation tax. Penalty for not conserving water. Of course the threshold is arbitrary.
13. TV and radio license. It is incredulous that this is still collected. Mediacorp is a private corporation (owned by the government), it should fund its own “public programming” requirement by public donation like every other broadcaster or otherwise.
14. Tobacco tax. In many other countries, this tax is directed towards education against smoking and healthcare.
15. Foreign worker levy. This is another big one for doing almost nothing. The MOM doesn’t even sweat when the NGOs pick up the slack!)
16. CPF. I consider the difference between what the People should get and what they are getting a TAX. We hear a lot about how CPF is paying more interest than the market recently. Do we also hear that how CPF should have paid more interest when the market is paying much interest over the many years in the not so distant past? E.g. CPF Board buys Temasek bonds and Temasek makes 9% annually and CPF members get 4% annually.
17. And how can I forget the mother of all taxes: the LAND tax? A lot of land was acquired from the People who were under-compensated (try 10cents per square feet in earlier days) and sold as over-priced HDB flats disguised as a subsidy.
In my haste, I may have left out some other taxes. All are welcome to add to the list. But I think you get the picture. I don’t know if it is a conspiracy and I certainly do have the proof, but it is the REALITY.
My point being we have been taxed more heavily than many countries with comprehensive social safety nets, particularly for the disadvantaged in our society. But things have not worked out that way in Singapore. Even minor programs are debated endlessly when it should obvious what the correct action is as a society. Where have all our monies gone??
Thank you for your personal sharing. Would you like to tell us more about your experience and share it with TOC readers as an article? Do drop us an email.
I’ve known for some time that the government is taxing us blind in numerous direct/indirect taxes and Steve has listed far more ways than I’ve thought possible.
Unfortunately, not many Singaporeans realise that they’ve been paying crazily high taxes.
The justification for high taxes is that you can see it materialising into an observable benefit. That is the take of many people from developed countries with an established welfare system that takes care of underprivilleged and fringe sector of society. Problem with PAP charging high taxes is that no benefit is actually observable.
I think this event this event is worth attending as it helping the disabled and not political in nature. I will attend.
What if the police comes along and arrest the disabled for displaying their art works between Citylink Mall and the Esplanade because this public displays can constitue to be a protest of some sort as it “promotes a cause.”
Just imagine fully armed RIOT POICE putting 10 to 15 of the blind and disabled poople on wheel chairs into the police vans. The police pulls down the art work and no reporters can report on this incident because it is unlawfull in Singapore to take snaps or recording of “illegal activities.”
Will this happen? And if it really happens, do Singaporeans care, let alone take actions to help the disabled?
Singapore is indeed in a very sad stage.
In Edmononton, Alberta, Canada my special needs daughter who was born in Singapore 21 years ago, receives a 50% discount on her monthly unlimted transit bus (bus and underground train); she pays only $35.50.
Most of the time, she can get full subsidy for all kinds of course she want to attend…music, higer studies, martial arts, swimming etc.
She receives a monthly allowance of about Can$1,150 (Sin $1,400) and free health and dental care. Yes, all drugs, all specialists’ treatment and hospitalization are free. Free prescription glasses every two years…subject to maximum of Can$300 and the eye exam is 100% free.
She works 1 to 2 days a week in the Dollar Rama shop at Can$9.60 per hour and earns about $400 more per month. As the total income is below personal tax allowance, she does not need to pay tax. In fact every quarterly, she is given GST tax rebate by the Federal government.
If she wants, the agency for disabled people can provide her an case officier to bring her out to socialize or just go out for a show to keep her accompanied.
She lives with us and she has her own room. She can affort to have a new high defination T.V. and a Dell computer to surf internet and new full set of furniture.
She enjoys watching the ice hockey and supports her favourite team, the Oilers. Occassional she watch the games live in the stadium.
In other words, she can be a “normal human” who can live in dignity and self-respect. Every day we as parents are very grateful to the Alberta and Canadian government and we do not mind paying our share of taxes. In fact I tell my Canada born son, who is 13 1/2 years old, that it is a very great honour to pay the Canadian tax.
If we have not immigrated to Canada, I dare not imagine the life my poor daughter is going though under Lee Kuan Yew and his son.
2) Bernard CHAN on December 6th, 2009 2.45 pm
This event is not illegal.
donaldson:
operation coldstore, marxist communists, libel suits, arrest of Mr Brown, drinking of water in MRTs, charging of NSFs…
sometimes i dont even know what is legal and whats not anymore. does legal even means logically coherent and morally correct these days?
i really dont know whats wrong with Singapore.
we need to help the needy as they are part of our community.
Bernard,
But you do realise that in Canada you pay higher taxes therefore you can get more subsidies etc?
On another note, I think sometimes we create our own conspiracy theories about the government swooping down on anything and everything we do.
Dear Audrey,
I will have to disagree that overall one pays more taxes in Canada than in Singapore. In fact, let’s enumerate the direct and not so direct taxes in Singapore:
1. Income tax. Whether it is intended or not, the tweaking, in favor of the GST, will make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
2. Corporate tax. For those who own businesses, there are generous schemes to transfer the tax burden from operations to the consumer through GST.
3. All kinds of business licensing.
4. GST/CESS
5. Property tax
6. Stamp duty for property transactions
7. Car taxes and COE (this is a big one for doing basic counting, even then LTA manages to screw up: ridiculous increase in the vehicular population!).
8. Road tax (and additionally ERP)
9. Petrol/diesel tax
10. Utilities and transport. One can make a case that these items incur indirect taxes to the People. By virtue of the structural monopoly, the consumers have been over-paying for electricity and transport relative to say CPI.
11. Toilet fixtures. This is collected through the SP Services bill. If one works through the numbers, it should be an over-collection for plain sewage services, hence I regard that as a tax.
12. Water conservation tax. Penalty for not conserving water. Of course the threshold is arbitrary.
13. TV and radio license. It is incredulous that this is still collected. Mediacorp is a private corporation (owned by the government), it should fund its own “public programming” requirement by public donation like every other broadcaster or otherwise.
14. Tobacco tax. In many other countries, this tax is directed towards education against smoking and healthcare.
15. Foreign worker levy. This is another big one for doing almost nothing. The MOM doesn’t even sweat when the NGOs pick up the slack!)
16. CPF. I consider the difference between what the People should get and what they are getting a TAX. We hear a lot about how CPF is paying more interest than the market recently. Do we also hear that how CPF should have paid more interest when the market is paying much interest over the many years in the not so distant past? E.g. CPF Board buys Temasek bonds and Temasek makes 9% annually and CPF members get 4% annually.
17. And how can I forget the mother of all taxes: the LAND tax? A lot of land was acquired from the People who were under-compensated (try 10cents per square feet in earlier days) and sold as over-priced HDB flats disguised as a subsidy.
In my haste, I may have left out some other taxes. All are welcome to add to the list. But I think you get the picture. I don’t know if it is a conspiracy and I certainly do have the proof, but it is the REALITY.
Before ISD comes a knocking, it should be “I certainly do NOT have the proof”.
My point being we have been taxed more heavily than many countries with comprehensive social safety nets, particularly for the disadvantaged in our society. But things have not worked out that way in Singapore. Even minor programs are debated endlessly when it should obvious what the correct action is as a society. Where have all our monies gone??
Hi Bernard,
Thank you for your personal sharing. Would you like to tell us more about your experience and share it with TOC readers as an article? Do drop us an email.
Zheng Xi
I’ve known for some time that the government is taxing us blind in numerous direct/indirect taxes and Steve has listed far more ways than I’ve thought possible.
Unfortunately, not many Singaporeans realise that they’ve been paying crazily high taxes.
The justification for high taxes is that you can see it materialising into an observable benefit. That is the take of many people from developed countries with an established welfare system that takes care of underprivilleged and fringe sector of society. Problem with PAP charging high taxes is that no benefit is actually observable.