Opinions

On our local reddit page r/Singapore, a redditporean posted a thread questioning if the government should give more money for GST vouchers as our cost of living increases. The redditporean noted that our GST is correlated to the cost of our goods and services in Singapore. The more something costs, the more GST you pay due to it being 7%.

The redditporean mentioned that it was introduced to help the needy. However, $0.82 a day is not going to help much as well. These are his calculations:

So, with the largest GST voucher, $300/365 days = $0.82 per day

I am sure most adults paid more than $0.82 on GST per day, even for poorest people. If you calculate, most people would spend at least $12 per day:

• ($3 meal x 3) + (return trip public transport $3) = $12

• $12 x 7% = $0.84 on GST

Therefore, even the poorest people in Singapore would still have to pay for GST in Singapore.

Furthermore, the GST hike is coming soon:

GST hike soon

The government has the plan to increase GST to 9% to fund areas such as healthcare and social spending for the poor and needy. They will enhance the GST voucher to help lower income households. If the government enhanced the current GSTV by having an additional $100 on current $300 after GST hike, I doubt it would make any difference since everything would be increased as well. So, is increasing GST to 9% really going to help the poor and needy?

What do you think? Does the GST voucher really help us citizens? Or is the saying "give chicken wing, take whole chicken" true?

Read his full post here:

Cost of living have gone up, but GST voucher remains at $300/150 for years?

GST voucher (GSTV) was introduced to help lower-income Singaporeans. But does it still serve it purposes?

Note: I am not considering the bicentennial bonus or U-Save​ because those were given out because of the budget surplus or used to offset expensive utilities bill. I am talking about daily expenses excluding utilities bill and medical bill.

So, with the largest GST voucher, $300/365 days = $0.82 per day

I am sure most adults paid more than $0.82 on GST per day, even for poorest people. If you calculate, most people would spend at least $12 per day:

• ($3 meal x 3) + (return trip public transport $3) = $12
• $12 x 7% = $0.84 on GST

Therefore, even the poorest people in Singapore would still have to pay for GST in Singapore.

Cost of living have gone up

Although GST remained at 7% for 12 years (since 2007) but due to inflation and other reasons, cost of foods has gone up. Because Singapore does not exempt necessities from GST so they tax everything we bought.

For example, my chicken rice stall at my area was selling at $2 per plate ten years ago but today they are charging for $3 per plate. So indirectly we are paying more for GST compared to ten years ago. The budget revenue from GST have increased over the years as well. But GSTV wasn’t enhanced along with rising cost of living.

GST hike soon

The government has the plan to increase GST to 9% to fund areas such as healthcare and social spending for the poor and needy. They will enhance the GST voucher to help lower income households. If the government enhanced the current GSTV by having an additional $100 on current $300 after GST hike, I doubt it would make any difference since everything would be increased as well. So, is increasing GST to 9% really going to help the poor and needy?

Let me know what do you think?

The next parliamentary elections are just around the corner. Everyone's getting excited. For the 30% who voted for the opposition, the next elections is a time to reaffirm their beliefs.

For the 70%, there are those who have finally woken up from their slumber. There are those still sleep.

For those still asleep, this netizen is giving you 10 reasons why you should vote for the PAP:

1. Vote for the PAP if they had shown a sincere semblance of accountability and remorse for inexcusable incidents like the escape of the most dangerous man in the region, with the most ironic name you could imagine for a terrorist.
2. Vote for this ruling party had they been a bit more transparent about the state of our reserves, how they are being managed and if there can be clarity over who the reserves are really for.
3. Vote for the PAP, when after five decades, they came to realise that having minority representation in the highest offices mattered. Never mind the “regardless of race, language or religion” pretentious bull crap, but we suddenly felt obligated to push for minority representation and changed the Constitution to fix what was never seen to be a problem of the last five decades of our existence. All this, so we can ignore the lack of minority representation everywhere else. Because now, we got a willing minority servant sitting at the precipice of our meritocratic democracy.
4. Vote for PAP if they were more equitable in their rage at management and financial lapses as identified by the AOG as they are with the smurfs from Aljunied.
5. Vote for the PAP whenever there isn’t any decent Opposition. I’m not a total fucktard who votes only on one side of the political divide without considering every little misdeed, incompetence or every word said by all candidates, incumbents or otherwise. Singapore is still my priority, not the party lines. Not many can understand this stance, though. Which is in itself, deeply disturbing and ironic.
6. Vote for the PAP if they knew how to manage our private information and showed some sense of urgency when our collective data gets hacked into, instead of insisting that the stolen data were not important.
7. Vote for the PAP when they can finally show an iota of decency, courtesy and respect towards those NSmen who had to die needlessly while in the service of their beloved country. I can absolutely understand that some accidents can just happen. Inversely, people need to also understand that there are accidents that can be just as well avoided.
8. Vote for the PAP when they can even remotely display a smidgen of empathy towards our weakest and vulnerable in society. I’d vote for the them, surely, when they can finally decide that our eldest and weakest folks deserve far more than collecting cardboard boxes, selling tissues, cleaning tabletops, sweeping floors and begging for some respite. They all should not keep pointing to “available assistance programmes” to absolve themselves from admitting that these programmes are not enough, and that the increase in the visibility in numbers of those struggling is a serious cause for concern. The narrative that work keeps these elderly folk useful in society and maintains a healthy regime on their tired, old bodies needs to stop, though. It may be true to some, but it is a narrative that is inherently obscene and nauseous when others work because they have no other choice in life.
9. Vote for the PAP if it were not for their audacity to admit that they’ve given out a substantial amount of assistance to foreigners to get ahead in life, when not all Singaporeans are even accorded the same consideration. I would not begrudge foreigners from receiving scholarships and awards from our country, as long as every Singaporean is given that same privilege of a free education, first.
10. Vote for the PAP when their rabid supporters can completely understand the implications when someone else takes over the helm and inherits the same power, control and influence the PAP now wield. Perhaps it’s difficult to fathom the very possibility, for the very idea itself could prove to be as frightening to the PAP and their supporters as how there are Singaporeans who are afraid of them.
11. Vote for the PAP if they can just convince me that they are more concerned about the citizens than they are about their remuneration to govern the country. If service to our country has an intrinsic value, then perhaps we need to reconsider how much we pay our fine men and women in uniform as well. Or the social workers. Or the preschool teachers. Don’t forget the nurses. Then there’s the sanitation workers. Or every old folk that still needs to work to put one decent meal on their table.

I would definitely vote for the PAP. My only problem is that, unfortunately, I have this fucked up little thing called a conscience. That’s what I’m struggling with.

Maybe I can get rid of this repulsive, niggly thing, like how so many already easily have.

Then I’ll definitely vote for the PAP.

Will you?

A chiobu witnessed an unpleasant incident on the train but she was not going to just keep quiet and not do anything about it.

She was seated opposite an Indian man (who looked like he was a construction worker). There was an empty seat next to the Indian man.

On one of the stops, an elderly Chinese auntie boarded the train and looked for a seat. She eyed the empty seat next to the said Indian man but she appeared reluctant to sit beside him. 

Sensing this, the Indian man stood up. The seats were taken up by the aunty. Instead of being grateful, she gave the Indian man a very judgemental look.

The situation was awkward.

This was when the chiobu sprung into action. She stood up and gave up her seat to the Indian man.

For her, it was sad that such discrimination exists. Moreover, he was also a full fare-paying passenger and should not be subjected to such acts.

Thus, the chiobu did what she did - a small favour - as she calls it, to make the world a less stressful place.

Would you have done the same?

A school has come under fire from netizens for a circular that it allegedly sent out in relation to the children's attire for the upcoming celebration of Racial Harmony Day (RHD). While it encouraged the children to come in their ethnic attire, it banned the use of headgear for 'safety reasons'.

It drew the ire of the local Malay/Muslim (MM) community. Even non-MM netizens were perplexed with the rule.

Every year, Singapore celebrates RHD on 21 Jul. RHD was first celebrated in 1997 to celebrate the harmony of our racial, religious, and ethnic diversity. It is also a day to commemorate the racial riots that took place here in Singapore, in 1964, between the Malay and Chinese communities.

Race and religious matters remain sensitive topics in Singapore.

Hence, the commemoration of RHD in schools remain rather superficial, with the wearing of the ethnic clothing being a feature the event.

Netizens voiced out against this missed opportunity. By allowing them to wear headgear, it forces the children to see that those wearing headgear, are their friends or schoolmates, and are no different from them.

It will teach the kids not to marginalise based on one's skin colour, or the headgear that one uses.

It will teach them to embrace the diversity, and to celebrate the differences. 

If they are not taught this when they are young, impressionable, and still in school, then when will they learn?

We have a tolerant society.

However, what we want is to build a truly harmonious society where there is true respect for others not from the same creed or skin colour. The school, and MOE need to reflect and review their roles in helping to Singapore to be a truly harmonious society.

This local xmm is lonely and looking for a daddy, but not the kind that you're thinking of.

The account holder, who wants to be known as 'Natalie', is supposedly 21 years old. She also described herself as fair-skinned with 'a bit of tattoo'.

Shy, but bratty, she's looking for a daddy who is above 30 years old. Other criteria for the daddy include being able to hold a conversation, plus a caring, yet firm person. By her own admission, she can be a bit bratty.

Ladies, if your partner/husband/boyfriend is frequently messaging his 'daughter', maybe its time to be worried.

Sugar babies are on the hunt for sugar daddies. Where or what this leads to is anybody's guess. There'll definitely be some implications on a relationship.

If you find out that your husband is a sugar daddy, what would you do?

Some children gained success later on in life but forget the contributions by their parents, and their own humble roots.

This bro is not like that. He may be tattooed, but he is not an unfilial son.

In fact, he is a grateful son. So grateful that he penned a touching tribute to his father on Facebook.

Its true, many of us look up to others as our role models. But what or who a role model is differs, from person to person.

For him, a role model is "a person who has positively influenced someone in life, and is not a person filled with selfishness and greed. They help shape someone’s personality, and characteristics. They are people who someone can look up to for advice in a hard situation, and know that they will give those words of wisdom. They will never judge our past actions, instead only look to help because they really care. They are real. They don't do it for money, power or fame. They don't do it for their own benefits.