Has the Government made the right move in increasing the GST, and thus the cost of living in Singapore? How about the poor in Singapore? Will they be negatively affected?
hmmm, i personally feel that the increasment of the government will affect almost anyone lest you print money.
they had increased the tax from 3% to 5% then from 5% to 7%. all these within the rein of the prime minister? ouch! that's fast, for an increasment of the taxes.
i feel that if the government want to increase the tax for whatever reason, increase it slowly and increase the wages of the citizens(both the government& private) too.
wise, people will spend more than they earn. a total inbalance.
The government has definitely created unrest among our people when it announced of the 2% increase in the GST.People are already starting to 'hate' the government,especially when it comes to the issue of money.It seems that the government dont seem to care much about the financial status of minority of its poorer citizens.While the average families have been fuming about having to face a heavier financial burden,then what more the poorer families? For sure they'll e negatively affected.I cant see anything positive to cheer about for these poor families.Even when the government have issued and granted a lot of subsidies for these families,I still dont think its enough for them.The increase in GST has just made it far worse for our people,especially them.
The government has definitely created unrest among our people when it announced of the 2% increase in the GST.People are already starting to 'hate' the government,especially when it comes to the issue of money.It seems that the government dont seem to care much about the financial status of minority of its poorer citizens.While the average families have been fuming about having to face a heavier financial burden,then what more the poorer families? For sure they'll e negatively affected.I cant see anything positive to cheer about for these poor families.Even when the government have issued and granted a lot of subsidies for these families,I still dont think its enough for them.The increase in GST has just made it far worse for our people,especially them.
Everywhere here now in Singapore people tend to talk more about the increament of the GST. This clearly shows that alot of people are affected of the GST hike.
To me, I think it will affect the country's economy,especially those in the tourism sector. If the government increase the GST, hotel rates,petrol rates,food e.t.c will rise too,thus it will be expensive. When tourists from other country finds a country is too costly to visit,it tends to avoid the country thus it will affect the country's economy especially those countries which depend more on the tourism sector.
So therefore in my opinion, i think the increament is unnecessary.
i personally felt that the government has make the right move in increasing the GST. Singapore is progressing and is emerging as a modern country, thus the living standard will also be relatively high.
And in order to compete against other countries that has land and resources, Singapore government has to show to investors that Singapore has the potential and skills to be invested in, they must first show that the country is of a high standard, which can be seen through the cost of living.
The government is also taking measurements to help the poor by subsidizing htem and offer them some help in their finances.
I would say yes and no for this. Yes because if the government takes time to increase GST for the poor to have a stable income Singapore itself would not be able to go through modernisation. No because the GST increase has led to some shops in relatively increasin their price much higher just to earn more profits.
I feel that the Government did not make the right move in increasing the GST. Since the inception of GST in 1994 at 3%, the Government has already adjusted the GST 3 times. In 2003, the GST was increased to 4%, and it was increased by another percent to 5% in 2004. It was finally increased by another 2% to 7% on 1st July 2007. By doing so, the Government has increased the GST by more than twofold within the spam of 13 years.
I feel that this will definitely cause financial strain for the citizens due to the higher cost of living, especially for the lower income families. An increment of 2% may not seem like a huge increase, but when all the daily household expenses are added in, it will be a significant amount.
Without a doubt, this increment will affect everyone especially the poor in Singapore. Fortunately, the Government implemented a GST Offset Package for the lower income groups. This package includeds tax rebates and subsidies which will aid the poor and allow them to slowly get accustomed to the GST increment.
However, I feel that an increment of 4% in a space of 13 years is still a rather significant increase. I feel that the government should have increased the GST even more slowly so as to give more time to its citizens to prepare for the increment.
Hi all, see the reason the Government gave for increasing the GST below. This is taken from PM's speech on 13 Sep 2006.
"Our aim is to help lower income groups and the elderly, it is not to increase their burdens. So when we implement the GST increase, it is not just a GST increase; it is a package which will fully offset the impact of the GST for these groups and begin to strengthen the social safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the lower income Singaporeans."
Do you think we should tax the poor to help the poor?
Also, do you think the Government is doing enough to help the low-income/ needy in Singapore?
NO, NO, NO TO GST HIKES. I feel that the increment of GST is indeed affecting singaporeans, they may be just a couple of percent u may argue, but in the long run it adds up to alot of money.
However whether the government has made the rigt move, i cant be certain, they may have they own problem. But hey, they ARE the government, They earn much more than us, thus they don't get affected much.
For the poor families, i feel that they have been dealt a hugh blow everytime GST increases. They are already struggling to make ends meet and now the increase n GST means they have to work even harder.
The increase in GST always hurts. I'm sure it will increase again in the near future, lets just wait and see.
Hmm... If indeed the increase of the GST's true purpose is the help the poor then yes I do believe that the government has made a right move.
Yes it is true that the lower income groups will be paying a greater tax but returns will be even greater as the entire population is involved not just the lower income groups but the middle and upper class groups as well. The government can then use their increased funds to help the lower income groups and the aged population. Eg. Better facilities, increased standard of living, better subsidy rates.
Ultimately, we'll be helping our fellow Singaporeans. Isn't that what its suppose to be about? Looking out for one another instead of just wondering how will the increased GST affect ourselves?
There is always room for improvement which the governmet can do to help the lower income groups. Eg. Greater subsidy rates for tertiary level students in lower income groups, increase the leeway of total monthly family income of lower income group students so they have greater chances to qualify for bursaries and student grants.
I do believe the government should relook their methods of calculating family incomes. Some family members though working and are not married may not actually contribute any money to the family.
The increament in GST is said to help the poor. Are they saying that the poor shouldn't buy anything? 2% GST has definately affected the price of almost everything around us. What about those who are struggling-but-not categorised under "lower-income families"? It definately will impact alot of people. And I mean negatively. I don't see the brighter side of having to pay more for my meals. I feel that the government can do better to help the lower income families without affecting others as much.
The GST hike is actually an adjustment to suit the country better. this actually increases the country's emergency funds so that singapore will be able to handle the emergency effectively.
Also, as compared to other countries, the 3% in Singapore is considerd rather low. so as singaporeans, we should be happy that we are not in other countries and be even happier to contribute to the country in this tiny little way.
Most of the Singaporeans will curse and swear at the government for increasing the GST. Consumers will have to pay more for the same amount of goods. I think that it is a bad move for the government as the poor will become poorer. At a higher standard of living, people have to earn more money to make up for spendings. Although the government are doing this for the country's welfare and said to help the needy. But the majority did not benefit, did they? Majority have to struggle to pay extra for stuffs. Furthermore, some despicable shop owners took the opportunity to increase the price of their goods significantly. I hope that the government can do something about this issue.
I think that the GST hike in 2007 is not needed. I think that the government is hiding the real reason for increasing the GST percentage.
The government has promised a sum of money to help us cope with the GST increase. It would be better if they kept that money and left the GST at 5%! How can that tiny sum of money cover increase in money spent by us after the GST hike?
With this hike, comes with more problems such as GST profiteering. Hawker centre stalls have increased prices of dishes by 50cents, citing the GST increase as the reason. It is utter rubbish.
I applaud NTUC Fairprice and some other enterprises for absorbing the increased GST for a few months.
In recent months, transport fares have risen, and GST has also risen. I have yet to be convinced that the GST hike is needed now. The cost of living in Singapore has just risen again.
It is said that the reason for the raise is to help the poor. How exactly, by forcing them to buy less thus saving more? Yes i agree that we might end up getting better subsidies and better facilities. But lets ask ourselves, how much more can they give? The maximum subsidy they can give for a bus ride is about 5 or 10 cents any more and they might as well give free bus rides. When we look at our facilities i think they are as good as they can be and if anything is needed it is proper maintenance. Another thing how long is it going to be till we get this subsidies and facilities, will it be before we all spend ourselves brooke. Now ask yourself Do we need a 2% increase for this? They say that this move will increase the standard of living, I dont think so. By increasing the GST its an added strain on everyone. Their income is not increasing but everything else is, this will lead to families stinging more or strugling to mantain their current lifestyle and standards. How then does this help increase the standard of living?
singapors's goverment are clearly taking care of out country fairly well. hdb flats now adays are all being renovated to look much better. play grounds and parks are being built for citizens to use them . without increasing the gst , the government would not have the means to make singapore a better place to live in . therefore it is only correct for them to do so.
as for the citizens who are not so well off, the government has clearly created many different schemes to help them. one example is medisave. under Medisave, wealthier (i.e. higher income, higher Medisave balances) patients have greater incentives to choose more expensive class wards. this allows the government to successfully reduce subsidies to patients who can afford to pay for their own health care and to channel these subsidies to less wealthy patients .
therefore, the government has clearly made the right move and the poor wil surely not be affected under the care of the singaporean goverment.
Singpaore is a developed country, i believe most of the peope will be able to deal with this increase cost of living. Hence it should not be a big problem to most.
However, i don't think that the poor, being the minority, should be ignored. The increase in GST surely has an adverse effect on them. But they are getting help from others. Nowadays, there are various charity organisations helping the poor. School fees are also being subsidised for the poor.
Therefore, i think that the goverment has made the right move in increasing the GST.
I believe that the government has made the right move of increasing the GST.
Although the government are taxing us more, which obviously seem unbearable for us common folks, their plans are actually to help the lower income group by helping out in their expenses. With more money from us, they will have more resource to help them.
It has been evident that the gap between the richer people and poorer people are increasing. The richer are getting richer while the poor are still the same if not worse. I don't think it seem fair now right? By taxing us more, it may seem that they are drawing more money from us, even from the low-income group. However they will be benefited in other areas which will lighten their burden.
As fellow Singaporeans, we should lend a helping hand to those who are unable to help themselves.
19 comments:
hmmm, i personally feel that the increasment of the government will affect almost anyone lest you print money.
they had increased the tax from 3% to 5% then from 5% to 7%. all these within the rein of the prime minister? ouch! that's fast, for an increasment of the taxes.
i feel that if the government want to increase the tax for whatever reason, increase it slowly and increase the wages of the citizens(both the government& private) too.
wise, people will spend more than they earn. a total inbalance.
The government has definitely created unrest among our people when it announced of the 2% increase in the GST.People are already starting to 'hate' the government,especially when it comes to the issue of money.It seems that the government dont seem to care much about the financial status of minority of its poorer citizens.While the average families have been fuming about having to face a heavier financial burden,then what more the poorer families? For sure they'll e negatively affected.I cant see anything positive to cheer about for these poor families.Even when the government have issued and granted a lot of subsidies for these families,I still dont think its enough for them.The increase in GST has just made it far worse for our people,especially them.
The government has definitely created unrest among our people when it announced of the 2% increase in the GST.People are already starting to 'hate' the government,especially when it comes to the issue of money.It seems that the government dont seem to care much about the financial status of minority of its poorer citizens.While the average families have been fuming about having to face a heavier financial burden,then what more the poorer families? For sure they'll e negatively affected.I cant see anything positive to cheer about for these poor families.Even when the government have issued and granted a lot of subsidies for these families,I still dont think its enough for them.The increase in GST has just made it far worse for our people,especially them.
Everywhere here now in Singapore people tend to talk more about the increament of the GST. This clearly shows that alot of people are affected of the GST hike.
To me, I think it will affect the country's economy,especially those in the tourism sector. If the government increase the GST, hotel rates,petrol rates,food e.t.c will rise too,thus it will be expensive. When tourists from other country finds a country is too costly to visit,it tends to avoid the country thus it will affect the country's economy especially those countries which depend more on the tourism sector.
So therefore in my opinion, i think the increament is unnecessary.
i personally felt that the government has make the right move in increasing the GST. Singapore is progressing and is emerging as a modern country, thus the living standard will also be relatively high.
And in order to compete against other countries that has land and resources, Singapore government has to show to investors that Singapore has the potential and skills to be invested in, they must first show that the country is of a high standard, which can be seen through the cost of living.
The government is also taking measurements to help the poor by subsidizing htem and offer them some help in their finances.
I would say yes and no for this.
Yes because if the government takes time to increase GST for the poor to have a stable income Singapore itself would not be able to go through modernisation.
No because the GST increase has led to some shops in relatively increasin their price much higher just to earn more profits.
I feel that the Government did not make the right move in increasing the GST. Since the inception of GST in 1994 at 3%, the Government has already adjusted the GST 3 times. In 2003, the GST was increased to 4%, and it was increased by another percent to 5% in 2004. It was finally increased by another 2% to 7% on 1st July 2007. By doing so, the Government has increased the GST by more than twofold within the spam of 13 years.
I feel that this will definitely cause financial strain for the citizens due to the higher cost of living, especially for the lower income families. An increment of 2% may not seem like a huge increase, but when all the daily household expenses are added in, it will be a significant amount.
Without a doubt, this increment will affect everyone especially the poor in Singapore. Fortunately, the Government implemented a GST Offset Package for the lower income groups. This package includeds tax rebates and subsidies which will aid the poor and allow them to slowly get accustomed to the GST increment.
However, I feel that an increment of 4% in a space of 13 years is still a rather significant increase. I feel that the government should have increased the GST even more slowly so as to give more time to its citizens to prepare for the increment.
Hi all, see the reason the Government gave for increasing the GST below. This is taken from PM's speech on 13 Sep 2006.
"Our aim is to help lower income groups and the elderly, it is not to increase their burdens. So when we implement the GST increase, it is not just a GST increase; it is a package which will fully offset the impact of the GST for these groups and begin to strengthen the social safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the lower income Singaporeans."
Do you think we should tax the poor to help the poor?
Also, do you think the Government is doing enough to help the low-income/ needy in Singapore?
NO, NO, NO TO GST HIKES. I feel that the increment of GST is indeed affecting singaporeans, they may be just a couple of percent u may argue, but in the long run it adds up to alot of money.
However whether the government has made the rigt move, i cant be certain, they may have they own problem. But hey, they ARE the government, They earn much more than us, thus they don't get affected much.
For the poor families, i feel that they have been dealt a hugh blow everytime GST increases. They are already struggling to make ends meet and now the increase n GST means they have to work even harder.
The increase in GST always hurts. I'm sure it will increase again in the near future, lets just wait and see.
Hmm... If indeed the increase of the GST's true purpose is the help the poor then yes I do believe that the government has made a right move.
Yes it is true that the lower income groups will be paying a greater tax but returns will be even greater as the entire population is involved not just the lower income groups but the middle and upper class groups as well. The government can then use their increased funds to help the lower income groups and the aged population. Eg. Better facilities, increased standard of living, better subsidy rates.
Ultimately, we'll be helping our fellow Singaporeans. Isn't that what its suppose to be about? Looking out for one another instead of just wondering how will the increased GST affect ourselves?
There is always room for improvement which the governmet can do to help the lower income groups. Eg. Greater subsidy rates for tertiary level students in lower income groups, increase the leeway of total monthly family income of lower income group students so they have greater chances to qualify for bursaries and student grants.
I do believe the government should relook their methods of calculating family incomes. Some family members though working and are not married may not actually contribute any money to the family.
The increament in GST is said to help the poor.
Are they saying that the poor shouldn't buy anything?
2% GST has definately affected the price of almost everything around us. What about those who are struggling-but-not categorised under "lower-income families"?
It definately will impact alot of people. And I mean negatively. I don't see the brighter side of having to pay more for my meals.
I feel that the government can do better to help the lower income families without affecting others as much.
The GST hike is actually an adjustment to suit the country better. this actually increases the country's emergency funds so that singapore will be able to handle the emergency effectively.
Also, as compared to other countries, the 3% in Singapore is considerd rather low. so as singaporeans, we should be happy that we are not in other countries and be even happier to contribute to the country in this tiny little way.
Most of the Singaporeans will curse and swear at the government for increasing the GST. Consumers will have to pay more for the same amount of goods. I think that it is a bad move for the government as the poor will become poorer. At a higher standard of living, people have to earn more money to make up for spendings. Although the government are doing this for the country's welfare and said to help the needy. But the majority did not benefit, did they? Majority have to struggle to pay extra for stuffs. Furthermore, some despicable shop owners took the opportunity to increase the price of their goods significantly. I hope that the government can do something about this issue.
I think that the GST hike in 2007 is not needed. I think that the government is hiding the real reason for increasing the GST percentage.
The government has promised a sum of money to help us cope with the GST increase. It would be better if they kept that money and left the GST at 5%! How can that tiny sum of money cover increase in money spent by us after the GST hike?
With this hike, comes with more problems such as GST profiteering. Hawker centre stalls have increased prices of dishes by 50cents, citing the GST increase as the reason. It is utter rubbish.
I applaud NTUC Fairprice and some other enterprises for absorbing the increased GST for a few months.
In recent months, transport fares have risen, and GST has also risen. I have yet to be convinced that the GST hike is needed now. The cost of living in Singapore has just risen again.
It is said that the reason for the raise is to help the poor. How exactly, by forcing them to buy less thus saving more?
Yes i agree that we might end up getting better subsidies and better facilities. But lets ask ourselves, how much more can they give? The maximum subsidy they can give for a bus ride is about 5 or 10 cents any more and they might as well give free bus rides. When we look at our facilities i think they are as good as they can be and if anything is needed it is proper maintenance. Another thing how long is it going to be till we get this subsidies and facilities, will it be before we all spend ourselves brooke. Now ask yourself Do we need a 2% increase for this?
They say that this move will increase the standard of living, I dont think so. By increasing the GST its an added strain on everyone. Their income is not increasing but everything else is, this will lead to families stinging more or strugling to mantain their current lifestyle and standards. How then does this help increase the standard of living?
singapors's goverment are clearly taking care of out country fairly well. hdb flats now adays are all being renovated to look much better. play grounds and parks are being built for citizens to use them . without increasing the gst , the government would not have the means to make singapore a better place to live in . therefore it is only correct for them to do so.
as for the citizens who are not so well off, the government has clearly created many different schemes to help them. one example is medisave. under Medisave, wealthier (i.e. higher income,
higher Medisave balances) patients have greater incentives to choose more expensive
class wards. this allows the government to successfully reduce subsidies to patients who
can afford to pay for their own health care and to channel these subsidies to less wealthy
patients .
therefore, the government has clearly made the right move and the poor wil surely not be affected under the care of the singaporean goverment.
posted by:
ISAIAH HOW JIA JIE
Singpaore is a developed country, i believe most of the peope will be able to deal with this increase cost of living. Hence it should not be a big problem to most.
However, i don't think that the poor, being the minority, should be ignored. The increase in GST surely has an adverse effect on them. But they are getting help from others. Nowadays, there are various charity organisations helping the poor. School fees are also being subsidised for the poor.
Therefore, i think that the goverment has made the right move in increasing the GST.
I believe that the government has made the right move of increasing the GST.
Although the government are taxing us more, which obviously seem unbearable for us common folks, their plans are actually to help the lower income group by helping out in their expenses. With more money from us, they will have more resource to help them.
It has been evident that the gap between the richer people and poorer people are increasing. The richer are getting richer while the poor are still the same if not worse. I don't think it seem fair now right? By taxing us more, it may seem that they are drawing more money from us, even from the low-income group. However they will be benefited in other areas which will lighten their burden.
As fellow Singaporeans, we should lend a helping hand to those who are unable to help themselves.
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