Leong Sze Hian –
Several Singaporeans living overseas and in Singapore have contacted The Online Citizen to tell us that they have received letters from the CPF Board asking them to pay their CPF Medisave arrears, incurred many years ago.
For example, Jane (not her real name), has been married to a European citizen, working and living in Europe, since 2003.
She had not received any letters from the CPF Board for several years, until the recent demand letter arrived at her European address. The letter said: “Failure to pay Medisave contributions is an offence under the CPF Act and is liable for composition fine and possibly Court action.”
She was self-employed and was struggling to pay her full Medisave contributions consistently, as she had to support her bankrupt father, ailing mother and sibling who was studying.
About eight years ago, under threat of being charged in court, she struggled to pay about $500 a month under an installment plan worked out with the CPF Board for about a year, but was unable to continue for the rest of the agreed installment period of about 2 years.
Her outstanding Medisave arrears is now about $12,000.
As she is only earning about 1,000 Euros a month now, she is not able to pay her Medisave arrears.
She is afraid that if she is charged in court, and if a warrant of arrest is issued, as we understand is normally the case for those who don’t turn up, she fears that she may be arrested if she comes home to visit her family.
She wonders if her only solution to her “Medisave” predicament is to give up her citizenship.
Or is she condemned to a lifetime exile form her country of birth?
Since she is living in Europe and will not return to Singapore, even if she is able to pay her Medisave arrears, what is the point of asking her to contribute, as she may never be able to use her Medisave which is restricted for use in Singapore and 12 approved hospitals in Malaysia since March this year?
Another example is John, who is a retired civil servant, and receives a pension and free lifetime medical benefits.
He too has been served with letters of demand and threat of court action for Medisave arrears incurred as a self-employed person.
When he told the CPF Board that it was pointless for him to contribute to Medisave even if he could afford to, because he gets free medical treatment, he was told that he could use his Medisave for his wife.
When he told them that his wife was also a civil service pensioner with free medical benefits, he was told that he could use it for his children.
When he told them that he has no children, he was told that it was required by law to contribute to Medisave.
I wonder how many people in Singapore or Singaporeans living overseas, owe Medisave, and have received letters of demand.
Are these letters of demand being sent to Singapore permanent residents (PRs) living in Malaysia, who owe Medisave too?
How many will be served with court action?
Self-employed persons are required to contribute to Medisave if they earn more than $6,000 a year.
If you earn just $500 a month, how do you survive?
If you are struggling to survive, how can you afford to make Medisave contributions?
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Remember to contribute, Temasek needs to refill their coffers. Seriously, I can’t use medisave for anything. So much money just sitting there even if I am sick, I will not be able to touch it. What a scam.
I cannot even used mymedia save for my dental (gum treatment).
If it is not treated, i might develop heart disease in a few years.
Is it when i gonna hear disesase, only then can i used my media save to cure my heart disease.
What the heck is media save – is it for a show orsome “clever people” used it to invest and get credit by their “master”.
This IS hilarious!
Any more PAP-administration comedy, pls?
HOW COME HUH?
NEED TO CREATE THAT ‘NEGATIVE WEALTH’ TO POSITIVE WEALTH
meaning shallow-shallow. Temasek wants money, and CPF is a good source of inflow for the gahmen. I think Jane should juz go to CPF and say “if you want me to put in money, I got no choice but to give up my SG citizenship, and I will see you next time to WITHDRAW ALL MY CPF monies, including medisave”.
the government is trying to suck up as much as they can due to the lost they made in temasek and so on. they are trying to rip off singaporeans and throw them in court to shaken their legs and making them pay and pay. contribute and contribute.
my advice would be throw then citizenship. singapore further more is full of foreigners so what differences does it make if you are singaporeans? you can always come again to singapore as a foreigner too with greater benefits.
just sick of this government trying to make singaporeans suffer even more squeeze even more. they know we can make it but telling the whole wide world singaporeans are living in first class country and pick those rich b@stard to post a media coverage to show singaporeans are happy.
my advice would be throw then citizenship. singapore further more is full of foreigners so what differences does it make if you are singaporeans? you can always come again to singapore as a foreigner too with greater benefits.
just sick of this government trying to make singaporeans suffer even more squeeze even more. they know we can make it but telling the whole wide world singaporeans are living in first class country and pick those rich b@stard to post a media coverage to show singaporeans are happy.
They must write in to the Health Minister and Finance Minister to appeal, and see what they reply.
CPF is take caring of our future by ruining our life now.
This shows the high-handedness of this regime and its machineries.Cpf/Medisave is our money but we’ve no say in how best to utilise them even and when you grow old,you’ll not be able to smell your lump sum of money.This is their diabolical tricks in withholding our CPF money for their self-serving ends.The losses they’ve made through their two companies-GIC and TH could have better utilise for the well-being of all S’poreans.We’ve been conned and we should’nt be caught sleeping anymore by their rhetorics as they are not doing their sacred constitutional duties to us but are ever enriching themselves with high salaries.Let’s together make our voices heard in the coming GE!!!!
I, too, owe Medisave big money. It is soooo easy to owe “them” – but I write “them” in inverted commas because, in reality, we owe ourselves since Medisave is supposed to be OUR money, not gahman money.
This is what happened in my case… I ran some small businesses for about 12 years and lost plenty money, during which I did not have to pay tax and did not have to contribute to Medisave.
When I could no longer take the losses, I returned to working free lance and whoa!!!! the next year when I my income tax returns showed some income, I was slapped with a Medisave Bill for thousands of dollars.
Of course I could not pay. For I was (and till today still am) still recovering from my business losses. And so my debts kept piling up.
The good thing is, CPF does seem to be flexible about this and has not carried out its threat to throw me in jail or whatever.
BUT… in the meantime I cannot register a business or company, cannot apply taxi licence, cannot apply hawker licence, etc etc. Many things cannot. This is a pain in the ***
For example, I do free-lance writing for a multi-national corporation and the company would only deal with other companies, not with individuals. So I need to invoice them through a friend’s company and pay a fee to my friend’s company for each invoice. More recently, I nearly lost that job because the MNC suspected that I was going through this roundabout billing in order to evade tax – which I am NOT doing. Agrh!!!
My biggest 2lan is this: Medisave is supposed to be OUR money. So why is there a law that punishes us for owing ourselves?
To me, this is unfair, overly harsh and UNCONSTITUTIONAL. But then, a lot of things in this first world country also same same!
BTW: I had written to the press about this some years back and my letters were published, but nothing seems to have happened.
now you all know how the cpf gangsters worked? did i or did i not says when my belated pop passed on..there was not a single cent in his cpf account.. a nil balances is what the cpf gangster told moi…
now you all quitters married angmors/kilengs/arabs..still must pay medicsaves mey? bytheway did the senile minister’s londonbased daughter PAID her owned medicsaves as well?
if not why not?
Do you know that our Cars and HDB’s Lifts get scheduled and statutory inspections. These are to make sure that they are healthy. However, many of us are not able to pay for our health screenings from our pocket. It will be a difference story, if Medisave are allowed for Health Screening.Currently, Medisave are not allowed. This meaned that we are less worthy than the car and lifts. That sad….
So what do you guys think Jane & John should do? Give up the citizenship here & say goodbye to good ole homeland?
My question should be: Why should the citizens still pay for healthcare when they have $$ in the Media/s? I thought that the Media/s’ sole purpose should be to cover for all healthcare costs?? Feel sad when our fellow citizens have to still cough their own $$ thru their nose to pay for ‘world-cass’ treatments in homeland.
/BUT… in the meantime I cannot register a business or company, cannot apply taxi licence, cannot apply hawker licence, etc etc. Many things cannot. This is a pain in the ***/
they don’t make things easier for you, they make things easier for themselves – expediency masquerading as efficiency at your expense (you need to pay for it, what else – it ain’t come cheap).
Cant Stand Joke right Dont Join La
/So why is there a law that punishes us for owing ourselves?/
Ayn Rand Quote
“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted and you create a nation of law-breakers.”
No matter how you see it: It means only one thing: Pay when you need it, Pay also when you don’t need it.
In a proper (private) insurance plan, it pays for all cost incurred. Some foreign insurance systems, government and private inclusive, also make sure that the patient doesn’t see his/her own hospital bill. Why?? Because it is already settled promptly by the insurance company… or the government insurance scheme of the (foreign) country where they are in.
It is pitiful to see Singaporean families sitting on a table in a hospital cafeteria calculating how much they can cough out for the loved one’s treatment and still opting only for the basic treatment package just because they have not enough $$$$$$$$$ to ‘contribute’ to their loved one’s treatment.
Cham la – Need treatment here in SG also must think of $$$$$.
rog22
It will be a difference story, if Medisave are allowed for Health Screening.Currently, Medisave are not allowed
………………….
my kaki beloved belated mother was diagnosed with cancer…
the hospital treatment if treated will cost a whoppin $50,000 or more
both the son/daughter who are FILIAL hav more than $50,000s in their medicsaves
yet they can onlLEE utilized 10% of the medicsaves..the resp pay in CA$H!!!
and to rub salt into wounds..even the cancer treatment is NOT guranteed…
within 3 months while in intensives care..
the poor mother passed on…leavin a HUGH debts in the daughter(singled aged) who had to sell the mother/daughter 4 room pointblock nice spacious comfortable flat in bedok to settle the ca$h loan IOUs…
Basically they want to entrap your CPF money, they have made a lot of revision to CPF policies to ensure you cannot withdraw much for housing or old age.
Nothing we can do, we are being screwed as long as they win.
Is it me, but is this a recent event whereby there is a massive onslaught of these demand letter send? my dad receive it too…
when a law is passed, you have to obey the law. u can not cai bei cai bo and vote the people that passed the laW. DONT FORGET, U VOTED THEM IN SO U MUST OBEY.DONT COMPLAIN.
Oh no, why are these people being threatened when some of them are trying to make ends meet? I know some of these people are rich but just refuse to contribute, however I reckon that it’s a small number only.
Why is CPF punishing everyone & not give them a chance? It’s like some gangster movie in HK when the loanshark will beat up the borrower when he couldnt pay without considering that he will be able to work for a while & would not be able to repay still! Anyway, CPF should allow these people to get a taxi licence or something, at least that way, the person could still make a living!
My mother, who is an 80 yrs old retiree, is also served notice from CPF to pay her medisave in arrears. The amount is several thousands dollars in total. Since she has stopped working ages ago, how is she able to find the money to pay?
I thought that only those who are working will be contributing to our CPF? Why ask an old lady, who had long retired, to contribute CPF? And I thought that CPF is for our retirement?!
Anyway, I just ignore those letters. It is getting more and more ridiculous in this country!
anyone and to whoever want to take up my bet that PAP will win whole sale this coming GE and hold up the flag nose high.
i strongly will say this again. PAP will win.
you just watch and see.
if got 4D shop offer on this betting i bet 1million dollar big 1million dollar small on PAP.
hey… isnt the minimal medisave contribution only @ 350 per year for self employed? please correct me if i’m mistaken.
what?? pay up or be charge???
is this a scam??
charge is for offense and wrong doing that involve crime.
what have our own medisave that we are going to charge for if we don’t pay when we are not employ?
more foreigners getting jobs more singaporeans losing jobs and jobless plus charge for not contributing medisave when they are jobless.
what is our government trying to do to singaporeans? are they setteing up ”SINGAPORE PTE LTD” or are they running the country for fellow singaporeans???
This is just wrong.
Why does the CPF board asks a retiree to pay medisave ?
I also do not agree to CPF Life. Why is it that we cannot draw all our CPF monies upon retirement.
I will vote Workers Party if they ever contest in my area.
Since when did i ever get to vote who is in & who is out??
It is always a walkover here!
The reasons are simple. TH and GIC lost in business venture are counting on these actions and that of going around charitable and church organisation coffer to dig money to cover up their losses they made. Why dare not aim at non-Singaporeans and PRs? they got no boss.
The signs of desperation are there.
vote wisely.
Think of it, I don’t remember there was any disucssion or public feedback before medicsave, medishield was mandated for everyone.
Since there are obviously many areas for finetuning, when can these 2 schemes be reviewed?
This is nothing let alone forgetting to pay up your TV license, you will be put under house arrest and go to jail too. Cannot pay up your TC SC&C or hdb arrears, they are bringing people to court with additional summons and if not paid, they throw you to jail.
@fpc:
You dun understand ah?
Many people like myself don’t even have the chance to vote because we kena walk(ed) over…
Get it?
you can’t pay your SP bills they cut your water and electric supply.
you can’t pay your town council they send you lawyer letter then send you to jail if you still can’t pay.
you can’t pay tv license you go court
you can’t pay your rental they chase you out giving you 30days to pack up and leave.
what are the bright life or future that our MM LEE AND PAPPIES had promise us over and over again?
what are they really doing for singaporeans?
may someone help us singaporeans please.
safe us from this old evil and his followers. may god condemn this evil.
how much more can singapore tolerate??!!!
if this coming GE they going to win totally. then singaporeans are just as good as dead. if singaporeans fear to voice up during the election fearing the army will shoot them to death so be it!! we are already near the dead line!!
hope that singaporeans will battle this to end this greed and claim our singapore our land!!
if singaporeans are so fear of the army then don’t voice up!! go and suffer for the rest of your life and be it that way. i’m so fed up of the government and more over of most singaporeans that talk among them the dirty jobs of the government but when come to media they become to good and carry the balls of this evil fearing they will be put in prison!! what is wrong with singaporeans??!!
by right don’t need to wait for GE. protest now!!! go as a singaporeans!!
very sad of singaporeans! being so gay. so very gay for 50years!!
In the first place why should she still be considered self-employed when she had migrated 7 years ago.
Under Singapore law any amount of money that cannot be recovered shall be written-off after 7 years.
Stupid CPF Board blokes don’t even know this and keep quoting the CPF Act.
hmmm..we are the 50years remarkable bunch of gays. now gays are popular in demand.
@ very sad 28 July 2010
what to do our past generation have been tune by MM LEE AND PAPPIES to take order and listen and bow down even we are right.
This is absurd!
Isnt this a Gangster Act demanding money? The idea of medisave is after all an attempt to make the work of the government easier. The money is from us, we should have the right to decision. If they enforce penalty, they are no difference from the Gangster .
Can someone from the Legal sector share their advice if this enforcement is acceptable? Is there such a thing as a Contract for being a singaporean?
It is absurd that they set the rules base on their whims and fancies, and penalise us if we dont play according to their rules.
I cannot believe this is a developed country when the government acts like a Gangster.
Pretty clear what PAP is doing now. Only mission:
Bankrupt the entire nation (exorbitant salaries, CPF levies, taxes, GST, ..etc)
PAPies simply migrate if really lose election.
PAP will not leave their fate to chance-they will FIX anything to get a win.
Singapore is on the verge of death. Prepare.
It isn’t ridiculous logic. It is in IT computer terms and logic call “Rubbish IN RUBBISH OUT”! What else can it be. Like what lee koning you about flooding that he knows nothing about engineering talking rubbish as a lawyer. In any case, he never ever did practice law in the courts did he? Ha ha! The “funniest” man in the world but nothing compared to Mr. Bean the real practiced and polished PHD before he become a real comedian to earn much more! Here is someone who is still an unimaginably high self paid “legal” comedian who isn’t funny at all as he is actually paid by US! Ha ha again!
Medisave and Medishielf is a scam as the full amount from any medical bill cannot be deducted from either of these two schemes, and one has to use our CASH to pay the bulk of the Medical Bills incurred.
With the medical bills from government hospitals as high as some private hospitals, one can only wonder if the subsidies even exist within the inflated numbers in the bills.
Medisave and Medishield are nothing more then a scam to deduct more amounts from our CPF, when this Government formed by the Pro Alien Party has no means or reluctant to pay every Singaporean who reaches retirement age.
The retirement age was once set at age 55, then it was moved to 60 then 65.
Now there is a new scheme to withold more from our CPF to allow for insurance until one reaches age 81.
With more and more of our funds being locked up, or deducted for miscellaneous schemes planned by the Pro Alien Government, it simply reduces the amounts that the CPF Board is supposed to return to us.
The CPF scheme works like a PYRAMID and require a large base of new members to join the work force annually, to contribute sufficient amounts for investments – so as to pay to those smaller group of retirees at the top of the Pyramid, BUT having a large amount in the CPF.
With a shrinking population since the 1970s, it is only too obvious that there will not be sufficient money to pay every retiring Singapore Senior Citizen.
If a worker contribute $200 a month to the CPF that pays an annual compound interest of 2% – at the end of 50 years, the CPF will have at least $207,050.
According to the Department of Statistics, at the end of June 2009 – there is a total of 525,900 Singaporeans age between 55 to 69.
If each has $207,050 in their account and without any deduction, this Government will have to pay out – $108 Billion to this group.
This is an average amount as those who are older should have more then those age 55.
.
Ref: Department of Statistics
http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/reference/mdsjun10.pdf – Pg 19 of 126
For those who have migrated,this is how you are being treated,you have crossed the ocean and they still hunt you down to chase you for money, and to penalise you.
The country has forsaken you,you might as well give up your citizenship.
Lucky for me and all my other friends whom I adivsed to give up their Singapore citizenships in the 1990s!
I knew these type of things can happen!
#Who is ayn rand
My only wish is for more Singaporeans to read her books & understand.
What a brilliant quote.
thanks for highlighting, that’s Singapore. Spot on.
John’s case is completely funny. CPF Board should be ashamed of itself.
We should have insurance like other developed country for medical needs.
It will be cheaper and better.
This can be done, but govt wants to just suck money.
Even Malaysia has it.
We don’t pay our medisave we kena charged. Ho Jin lost billions of our medisave, and she is free with golden award. Is there a conflict of interest since LHL is her husband, who in turn managed the court payroll. Wow!!! scary man, peasants lugi big!
@vERY SAD,
I fully agree with you. Whats the point of voting? its pointless. In fact, singaporeans should have all come out together and start doing protesting in the streets and let the garhment shoot us if they want to. Afterall, we are already being screwed left and right, front and back, in and out, whats there left for us, except dignity!
So for the sake of your own future, forget about the voting out them already, its time to protest in the streets now. Go and ask SDP how can we gather thousands and thousands of singaporeans to go street protesting now. Shoot us if they want to. If they are not worry about international countries will surely interfere. I doubt the garhment dare to shoot. Becos they still need to do business with the international countries, so how can they afford to shoot us who are the rightful owner of singapore citizens, where it will also harmed their reputation if they really do that, dont you people use some brains and think????
I have been away working out of Singapore for more than 30 over yrs and never been asked to contribute to the medic-save scheme until lately.Even when i come home for a long vacations every yr,never once i have made use of the medical benefits in Singapore.Questions.Why should i pay into it?.Why there is a sudden change in policy?.You could imagine how much i need to pay back to the government for all these years.If i am really force to pay,to hack with it.I rather cut my tie with Singapore.
preston loon
You could imagine how much i need to pay back to the government for all these years.If i am really force to pay,to hack with it.I rather cut my tie with Singapore.
………………..
now you realLEE know how your X-masters realLEE works & demands?