I've lately been comtemplating moving back to Asia from the US
within the next 2 to 3 years also.
Kind of fed up with the loose fiscal policies of the US govt,
and having to pay through my A$$ in taxes...property tax US$10K,
income tax US$15K, Social Security and Medicare US$12K (which I
will never be able to withdraw because it will be bankrupt in 30
years)...
The cost of living in the US is pretty high. A 20 minute taxi
ride is US$50, then have to tip some more. Tipping is
everywhere...go for a meal in a restaurant, tips are now expected
to be 15% to 20% on top of the sales tax, which is 8.25% in my
state. And there are no options for hawker fare, so the cheapest
meal you can get is about US$10, plus tip and tax on top.
Add to that the crap state of the job scene. Asia seems so much
more happening in terms of job opportunities.
The only thing I would miss moving back to Asia is the casual
way of life and the nicer manners people have over here.
I agree that SG is not the same place as it was 17 years ago. It
sucks that the govt is letting so many foreigners in to replace SG
workers. I would say maybe fo work in China or HK or Taiwan and
become an expat, you'll probably get special treatment.
US$10,000 for property tax? 
Do you live in NeverNeverLand?
If you are rich, it's good to help spread your wealth to help
the less fortunate of society.
Philanthropy is a virtue.
In Singapore, there is no such thing as welfare, if you are poor
and stupid, you just die and save the government from
complications.
Remember that the real property tax is an ad valorem tax, or a
tax based on the value of property. Two owners of real property of
equal value should pay the same amount in property taxes. Also, the
owner of more valuable property should pay more in taxes than the
owner of less valuable property.
The property tax differs from the income tax and the sales tax
because it does not depend on how much money you earn or on how
much you spend. It is based totally on how much the property you
own is worth.
For example, if an assessor assesses property at 15 percent of
value, a house and land with a market value of $100,000 would have
an assessment of $15,000. With no exemptions, this is the
property's taxable assessed value. This $15,000 is not the tax
bill. The tax bill for this house depends on the municipality's tax
rate.
The tax rate is determined by dividing the total amount of money
that has to be raised from the property tax (the tax levy) by the
taxable assessed value of taxable real property in a municipality.
If, for example, a town levy is $2,000,000, and the town has a
taxable assessed value (the sum of the assessments of all taxable
properties) of $40,000,000, the tax rate would be $50 for each
$1,000 of taxable assessed value.
$2,000,000 / $40,000,000 = .050 x $1,000 = $50 (tax rate)
The town tax bill for this house with an assessment of $15,000
would be $750. The $750 results from dividing the assessment of
$15,000 by $1,000 to get $15 (because the tax rate is based on each
$1,000 of assessed value). Then, the $15 is multiplied by the tax
rate to get the tax bill of $750.
$15,000 / $1,000 = $15 x $50 = $750 (tax bill)
As you can see, the size of the tax bill depends on both the
assessment and the tax rate, which is based on the tax levy.
http://www.orps.state.ny.us/pamphlet/taxworks.htm
