Dear All
The Saga of the GST Hike continues. The press is unrelentingly
offering support to the PAP Governments initiative. Over here, i
wage a war against one-sided information and skewed perspectives.
This is my letter in response to Article at Page 6 Sunday Times
yesterday 19th November 2006.
Regards
Ti Lik
GST Hike Propaganda
The article at page 6 of Sunday Times 19th November 2006 by Ken
Kwek is referred to.
Lending support to the Governments GST hike gig, the article
reveals that Mika Sampovaara, a Scandinavian quitter is able to
earn the same and have more time for a better life in Singapore by
fleeing from the heavy taxation levied by a welfare state. These
are some points to put the article in proper perspective.
1. The Scandinavian quitter was a high-flying economist, stock
analyst and broker in his own country. He was placed at the top
income tax bracket of 60% taxation rate - in short the Viking was
part of their elite!
2. The average Singaporean will never earn close to the
Scandinavian elite. This then begets the question of whether this
example of a Scandinavian quitter has any relevance to the
situation faced by the people of Singapore.
The article simply validates our suspicions that Singapore is fast
becoming a haven for elite foreign quitters. This certainly was not
what Singaporean voters wanted when they voted for the ruling party
in the recent elections.
The elite Scandinavian quitter feels he has more than repaid his
country (which he benefited from under the welfare system) just
because he has paid 5 years of income tax at 60%.
How should the average Singaporean feel in having to stay and
continue to pay 7% for all consumption for their entire lifetime
here where in a non-welfare state?
Proportionately, the average Singaporean will pay far more than the
elite Scandinavian quitter. As this means Singaporeans are more
meek and compliant than our imported talent. The Government ought
to rethink its obsession with flooding Singapore with foreign
quitters.
In any event, if citizens fleeing their country for greener
pastures is any form of measure Singapores administration would
fail dismally, by this yardstick, in comparison to Finlands.
For once, someone must get the message across into the thick skulls
of the leadership that when Singaporeans ask the Government for a
social safety net, we do not mean the Scandinavian model of welfare
assistance. Singaporeans are too meek to make demands, Singaporeans
would be too happy if the government were less greedy i.e. take
less & spend less.
The PAP government should cease using the Scandinavian welfare
bogeyman to frighten Singaporeans into accepting their twisted
logic for further increases to their costs of living.
The fault in Singapores system is that the prevalent and
uncritical support of the Ruling party empowers it to push through
detrimental, unpopular and illogical policies, which hurt all
Singaporeans including their supporters, a result of the arrogance
leading to high-handedness and a lack of compassion for the
people.
Singapores problems cannot be solved by this theatric GST hike and
its supporting accompaniment because:-
1. Increasing consumption tax hurts the poorest people hardest and
only serves to widen the income gap. This must be avoided.
2. all help schemes, however well intentioned, require resources to
administer its disbursements and therefore are inherently
inefficient and inevitably waste public resources. This is worse
when the criteria make it difficult for the needy to qualify.
3. if the Government is really sincere about helping the masses, it
can do more to lower the cost of living and certainly not continue
to act to make it worse.
4. the Government should raise resources by cutting wastage and
lavishness in its own administration. This will come across as
being more resourceful. Simply raising tax indicates having lesser
abilities.
The elite in Scandinavia are made to bear the heaviest burden
rightfully so. Singapores masses are on their way to bearing the
bulk of the nations burden if they do not indicate their
displeasure to the PAP in no uncertain terms at the next general
election.
The challenge of administering a country is one of the highest
calling and it does not augur well if the attitude of the PAP
Government is to race others to the bottom.
Until the next general election, this 1st World Government still
has opportunities to prove its worth (and cost) by producing
policies which better the lives of the Singapore people.
Singapore will be better off without the GST Hike.
Chia Ti Lik