TR EMERITUS

There are PRs who remain as PRs for more than 10 years with no intention of becoming Singaporean citizens. PRs who remain as PRs for more than 10 years should not make money from HDB. HDB is taxpayer-funded and foreigners who have no intention to become citizens should not share the same benefits as citizens. It is fine if they make money from private property. But public property is a different matter. Very few countries have the generosity like Singapore which allow foreigners to buy public housing like Singapore. It is only right that Singaporean citizens deserve more privileges from our own government. Our Singaporean males sacrifice at least 2 years of their lives in NS. Our parents pay taxes. PRs' parents don't. They are like hot money who come in when the going is good and leave when the going gets tough. Should we allow them to profit from our HDB? Some PRs complain that Singapore is a lousy country to live in. Such a high cost of living. They can live like kings back home. This is why they will never convert to become Singaporeans. Make as much money as possible in Singapore, then go back home and live like Kings. In this case, please respect my country and stop complaining during lunch time. I have heard too many stories of PRs making money from our HDB. Here are the ways PRs make money from our taxpayer-funded money. - Collect rental income from HDB flats when they find better jobs back home. 8 years ago, there were PRs from China who did that. - Sell our HDB flats at a huge profit and make big money - Enjoy subsidized new flats from our generous government when the HDB flat goes en-bloc. Tharman Shanmugaratnam told Parliament on 1 March 2012 that the Government would have to find new ways to raise revenues after 2016. Here are some suggestions I would like to make; - Impose withdrawal taxes of at least 30% on CPF of PRs when they leave Singapore. Withdrawal taxes are normal in other countries. - Lower interest rates in CPF for PRs. - Higher capital gains tax on property sold by foreigners. For HDB which are public property, the capital gains tax should be as high as 50%. These are public-funded property. Foreigners should not profit from taxpayer-funded property. In fact, some have argued that foreigners should not be allowed to own public property in the first place. - Impose higher annual property tax on PRs. This is also normal in other countries. See Malaysia next door. After luring many Singaporeans into buying Iskandar properties, they are going to raise property taxes. However, I do not think it is fair that Singapore follow Malaysia in setting a floor price at which foreign-owned property can be sold. We have to treat foreigners fairly and not make money off them unfairly. Taxes should be imposed on foreigners fairly. However, if they are getting the better part of the deal, like profiting from public property, Singapore has the right to impose hefty taxes on them. Fair-minded Singaporean *  Submitted by TRE reader.  Read More →

CLOSED: Lei Garden's Orchard Road outlet, which opened in 1989, ceased operations on 1 Jul 2014, because it could not find enough workers to run it. (Photo: LIANHE ZAOBAO) SPH published an article last week ("Labour crunch takes a bite of Lei Garden", MyPaper, 2 Jul) highlighting that the current foreign labour restrictions had caused Lei Garden, a high-end Chinese restaurant, to close its outlet in Orchard Rd. It wrote, "Well-known fine dining restaurant Lei Garden has closed its outlet in Orchard Road as it could not find enough workers to run it. The move comes amid a labour crunch." Starting from 1 Jul, foreign worker levies will go up further and the foreign worker quotas will further be affected. Companies will not be allowed to retain any foreign workers above 45% Dependency Ratio utilisation and any S Pass holders above the 20% Sub-Dependency Ratio utilisation [Link]. Lei Garden put up a notice in the media saying that it was unable to find "qualified and experienced" staff. Lei Garden will now focus on its outlet at Chijmes, the notice stated. Until last year, up to 50 per cent of the staff of a company in the services sector could be foreigners. Starting yesterday, this Dependency Ratio Ceiling was cut to 45 per cent. Come July next year, this will fall further to 40 per cent: Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry & National Development, Lee Yi Shyan, posted Lei Garden's closure ad on his Facebook page and wrote [Link]:  "中小型企业因找不到员工而关闭的现象值得我们关心和支持。" Translation: "Small and medium-sized enterprises which close down because they cannot find enough workers (is an issue) worthy of our concern and support." It's not known if the closure of Lei Garden's outlet at Orchard Rd is linked to foreign quota issue. Meanwhile, some people who appear to be businessman are asking Lee Yi Shyan to relax the restrictions on the recruitment of foreign workers: YW Cool: This has been seriously highlighted and we cannot allow it to be 'politicized'. While Singapore need to monitor and control the intake of foreign workers, we should also ask ourselves, the reality of our economy is business must go on, lots of businesses belong to Singaporeans and they provide many jobs for Singaporeans, if they don't survive, we as a whole will be in big trouble. The root of the problem is not just about foreign workers taking over jobs which are 'meant' for Singaporeans, but when the jobs are made available, where are the Singaporeans? So whoever keep slamming on foreign workers should either support by filling up the vacancies or tell us what good alternatives they have for Singapore. It is a problem, we all know, it is not a simple problem as easy as ABC... We as a country are trying to improve the situation, and not just giving comments. Allan Moo: I think the govt should be more flexible in customising labour policies to the different industries. Can the govt allow more Malaysians to come work in the F&B and service industry? They are familiar with Sg culture and can adapt quickly. Also, it would be good to relook at the foreign workers levy as companies that truly truly have no choice but to hire foreign labour are getting killed by the levy.  Read More →

WP Lee Li Lian is no scholar. She went to Ngee Ann poly before getting an external degree while working. She was voted in by the residents in Punggol East, beating Dr Koh Poh Koon from the PAP. A passion driven professional in wanting to see Singaporeans being in the forefront will be spearheading a community with his sincerity and willing to work ground up to make it happen. So the money equation to attract brains with money BUT without the social element is proving to be a fallacy. All round we could see Singaporeans from the many households driven to despair in thinking how to afford a house, a wife or husband, kids and so on – the very structure that should be in place for Singaporeans. Instead we see foreigners driving expensive cars zipping around much to the annoyance of Singaporeans. Even in the mid-range PMET positions we see many foreigners. Fundamentally any thinking MP will realise that once you open an outlet and the floodgates for foreigners the culture will dictate and next to no time you will see villages from Philippines in the retail sector, Indians in the IT and banking sector and PRCs in property and what not manning the choice positions in the name of foreign talents. Where were our eyes and ears. So slowly the Singaporean who should be leading the country have taken a back seat and the backlash of GE 2011 is just a surface indication of what is to come in GE 2016. Singaporeans have become more discerning and are learning to question failed policies. If they do not get answers consistent with having Singaporeans First as the overriding factor the ebbing of confidence will be deep rooted and we know what is to come. In short money cannot buy talents – the more you give the more lax they become as we have seen. Paper meritocracy is not true meritocracy. The proof is in the pudding and increasingly we see many MPs can't even articulate convincingly. If they are in single member constituency as the previous early generation of leaders were, the best will have surfaced and they would have the eyes and ears to the ground knowing that if they do not perform by putting Singaporeans First rather than giving lame excuses that we are not talented the Opposition will bring talented MPs and bring a turn around. GRCs will not be a buffer for the future. If Aljunied GRC could do it there are many more preparing the ground for many more Aljunied GRCs. So a shrewd and ground breaking idea will be to turn all to SMCs and allow the best local Singaporean talents to surface. One will see the deep and motivating difference in these Singaporeans taking the lead and show the way without money in millions as a dice to drive them to politics without the deep seated desire to see Singaporeans in the forefront and bring that change to a more heartwarming Singaporean First and not in words. Today we see better and better educated Singaporeans joining the opposition ranks not for opposing for opposing sake but to assure a balance that when all things considered it is the Singaporeans who will shoulder the responsibility of defending the country and the resilience to do so.   G T Raj * Comment appeared in: World Cup a nightmare to PAP’s highly paid ministers    Read More →