Without cars, you receive more from the government

oxford mushroom SG

"The overwhelming majority of Singaporean households - 90 per cent, according to the 2004 Budget, if they do not own cars - receive far more in benefits than they pay in taxes. The bottom 20 per cent of households, who generally do not own cars, gained $13,000 more in benefits than they paid in taxes; while the top 20 per cent, especially if they owned a car and had a maid, paid $42,000 more in taxes than they received in benefits...."

(Time for a Sunday sermon on the 'Singapore compact', Straits Times, Sunday 10 Dec)

In addition to the fact that 60% of Singaporeans do not pay taxes, the lowest income groups also receive various forms of benefits and subsidies. In other words, it is the minority higher income earners who support this country financially through their taxes. That is why any increase in direct taxes will be detrimental to the nation, by driving away the very ones who support the poor in society.

Atobe SG

This piece of depraved thinking is similar to that of snobs, who believe that the bottom half of society exist simply because these snobs pay taxes.

Are you suggesting that car owners should pay less taxes despite the environmental pollution that their car cause ?

Has there been any critical thought that this article is skewered in that the Government spent much more in infrastructure to allow the cars to move THAN the miserly $13,000 paid out in benefits to the Poor - AND of which the same $13,000 is taken back by this Government in terms of services charged.

The $13,000 is NOT a FREE Handout - surely you should know better when you are the loudest spokesman of this Government's 'NO FREE LUNCH' proposition !

How many receipients are there in Singapore that receives the $13,000 handout, which in total will represent the bigger handout than the amount spent to benefit 'Car Owners' ?

If 60 per cent of Singaporeans do not pay tax, surely those PhD scholars - that sit as Cabinet Ministers, and as Heads of respective Civil Service - should all be sacked for gross negligences and lacking in diligence and foresight ?

ShutterBug SG

Hey OM!

Dig Atobe, dude!

Go Cut-&-Paste some more of your views!!

Mr. Green

eyebuzz SG

Hey OM, read this

... According to the Helsinki-based institute 'rich vs poor' study for which there is only limited data, in 2000, a couple needed capital of US$1 million to be among the top 1 percent on the wealth list -- the richest 37 million people in the world.... And it also found that net assets of US$2,200 per adult would put a household in the top half of the world wealth distribution....

So if our poor benefited >S$13,000 in kinds, how's that they are still poor, did you see any catalytical benefits realised in the 'homes' of the poor, in their daily lives (S$1000 a month plus 13th month bonus)? - U sure know how to crack my arse, incidentally, thanks to u, I am using that area there to think! An ang bao a year together with the 'hand-outs' for that particular highly hyped generosity month and that leave 11 months of maggie mee... better NOT fall sick!

Doing good is never enough, is that all they can provide? Hello, they are paid millions of dollars in cold figures... what is S$13,000 in abstract kinds? It's the day to day living expenditures not just the benefits amounts per se lah.

Proof of posting is not proof of delivery. Embarassed What better ways is to hear from the poors who received what you claimed benefits in total if their lives actually improved for the better as a result of all these efforts, after 41 years have enough targetted aids done? etc... Sad

ditzy SG

If I forego owning a car, will my employee cpf contribution go down 10%? I don't think so. Laughing

shutterpod SG

since we’re short of land and i think we’re running out of land soon,why not removes all the roads which occupies so much space and maximise land use.build buildings over roads and let everyone get their refund from the govt of their cars.so everyone will be happy.next,build a network of public transport system above all the root of the buildings.let the whole of singapore be connected via public trains and public rams.it will not only benefit the environment as these public transport emits less CO2 and carbon monoxide.it will enable more singapores to invest their hard earned money into something else instead of the cars which they pay so much for,not forgetting the taxes for the car.its time we move onto the next generation.hahahhahah..one more post for me =.=

Lowclassman SG

The sg govt had collected billions of dollars from COE.......the amount is more than enough to build roads and other relevant infrastructures.
The sg govt is collecting tonnes of $$$...do you think they will forego this $$$ collecting machine?

Getting refund from our blood Sucking Papvamires? Wait long...... long......Why was sg govt so ''generous'' to give $$$ away? In fact, They already collected loads of taxes and advance $$$ from us. After given $$$ to us...they will collect more back with interest and profits from us. REMEMBER!!! PAP IS VERY MEAN WITH"" THERE"S NO FREE LUNCHES IN SINGAPORE"""

googoomuck SG

Found this funny story in a book about maths abuse. Its easier for a layman like me to understand.

A man was walking home from work when he spotted a $5 bill on the pavement. He picked it up and put in his pocket. His other pocket already contained a $10 bill. The man smiled. My wealth has increased by 50%, he said to himself.
Unfortunately, the pocket that held the $5 bill had a hole in it. When he went home, he discovered to his dismay that the $5 was missing. Thats not so bad, he said. earlier, my wealth was increased by 50 percent, now it has decreased by only 33 percent. Im still ahead by 17 percent!

Such a claim made by this man succeeds in making something out of nothing
Did the man gain any money by first finding, then losing, the same amount?

Is this not similar to what the government is doing? Give $5 and then take it back by another means and says, Hey, we gave you money. Yeah, we took it back later but youre still better off!

If one listens to the number and dont think about them too much, it sounds like the government is doing a good job or an even better job than ever.

ShutterBug SG

Yes brother, ...

THEY don't OWE US a living, WE don't OWE THEM the VOTINGS!!!

Simple!

More and more stop voting them, eventually, they will stand alone....

oxford mushroom SG

Remove the roads and send Singapore to the 18th century...what a daft idea Mr. Green

oxford mushroom SG

Guess you are far too thick to understand that the 60% do not pay taxes because they have been exempted by the government who taxes the well-off and let the poor go. With all the tax reliefs, subsidies and benefits, it's the high-income earners that's paying for the running of this country.

ShutterBug SG

Lemme ask you OM, does someone, like say a new start-up of a small business, who reportedly earns a little over $2,500.00 considered well-off?
And who suddenly is demanded by the IRAS to pay up over $2000.00 in 30 days into his Medisave account?

Are we well-off for all this so called "benefits"?

Lemme tell ya, the gov LETS NO ONE off when it comes to their bluddy taxes!!!

They'd god damn increase something else somewhere while giving so called "relief" in front of us! Not much diff from a David Copperfield performance - they're bluddy illusionists!

ditzy SG

Does the 60% account for those who just got their singapore birth certificates? Laughing

kilua SG

Its quite narrow to see taxes as the only form of contribution of building nation. What about the CPF funds that were contributed by the masses to build the nation? While citizens were only getting a measly 4% a year, GIC used the capital to fund many ot these GLC and grew at 18%. Its only the recent years the use of CPF funds were liberelised.

There enough bad arguments produced by the government. First we have "the government needed to raise tax to help the poor", when the government is only to use a small portion of the increase to help them.

Now we have this silly the rich are the ones that help to fund and build Singapore and the rest shouldnt complain about GST argument. I really hope they push arguments like these to the public, and see whats what kind of flake they get from the public.

kilua SG

i guess hes talking about those fake HDB subsidies where they acquire the land forcibly for $1 per sqf then selling them at a discount of $150 instead of $175 per sqf.

LazerLordz SG

Not a problem, let's have the business community move away from the tripartite BS.

What we need is added weight to fund political parties that will represent groups and not leave them in the lurch.

Atobe SG

Originally posted by oxford mushroom:

Guess you are far too thick to understand that the 60% do not pay taxes because they have been exempted by the government who taxes the well-off and let the poor go. With all the tax reliefs, subsidies and benefits, it's the high-income earners that's paying for the running of this country.

Can we trust a dumb mushroom with a supposed PhD in medicine to appreciate anything ?

Can you appreciate the numbers involved when 60% of Singaporeans do not pay taxes ?

60% of a Singapore population of 4.5 million will mean that there are 2.700,000 poor Singaporeans that form the 60% exempted from taxes.

If we are to believe your - supposedly well grounded - statement that these 60% "have been exempted by the government who taxes the well-off and let the poor go" - are you suggesting that these 60% of Singaporeans are amongst the poor who have been exempted ?

Can Singapore qualify to be First World Status with 60% of its Citizens being POOR; or has LKY jumped the gun with a big self-delusionary lie in his memoir from "Third World to First" ?

It will seem that your Mushroom head is thicker and denser to allow anything of substance to get through.

eyebuzz SG

Again, lotsa bulls' interpretations with darn statistics... Let the poor go... where?... MRT Track? U conveniently ignored in existence GST - indirect tax, erh? 60% do not pay; Exempted? talk to my butt! Laughing

PS I have a lottery ticket which has a 60% of winning S$4.4 million dollars. How much money do I have?

Lowclassman SG

If most sinkaporeans opt not to have cars.......

No surprise....that the blood sucking sg govt will do...this
Sg govt will tax you even more....because sg govt would need to recover tax revenue lost due to less cars ownership.

ShutterBug SG

Bro you're so right!

This will definitely come true if we all suddenly give up our cars.

All they care about is their moneies - their own revenues... not us.