I wonder how he became a Minister

Taxes must rise for social spending to increase: Ng Eng Hen

Yahoo News 31 Aug. 12

The money needed for increased social spending can only come from higher taxes, says Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, reiterating a point made recently by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking on the sidelines of a forum on the prime minister’s National Day Rally speech on Thursday evening, Ng said Singapore’s ageing population necessitates higher social spending by the government.

He noted that by 2025, there will be roughly two to three working adults for every elderly person in Singapore. The Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports also estimates that by 2030, elderly people aged 65 and above will form almost one-quarter of Singapore's citizen population.

“Our society is ageing, we will have more aged people, and we want to take better care of the disadvantaged and disabled,” he told reporters. “Just by numbers alone, even if you spend the same amount, social spending has to increase.”

Responding to a question posed in the forum and addressing an audience of about 200, Ng said, “If you want more social spending, you have to find the money only from taxes.”

Lee had said in his speech on Sunday that taxes would have to be raised within the next two decades to fund higher social spending. He also explained that, though people have said the government could rely on reserves to finance the increase, it has already in a way been doing so through the use of returns from investing the reserves.

When asked by a forum participant about the possibility of using budget surpluses to fund the nation’s increments in social spending, Ng pointed out that the government does not have surpluses, noting that PM Lee had even mentioned in his rally that it took out S$8 billion from Singapore’s reserves in the last financial year.

“If our economy grows, if the size of the economy grows and revenues come in, then perhaps we don’t. But as you know, we have some limits of growth in terms of labour and our land, so our economy is projected to grow one to three per cent,” Ng added.

“But these are issues I think that are best dealt with when we need to, it’s just that we first have to determine the national conversation — how do we better take care of the disadvantaged groups... and then decide from there how much, what we need, what we can afford and how (we can) husband our resources to take better care of them. I think that’s a better conversation."




This guy is nut! I wonder how he became a Minister but again history has proven that you don’t really need one to be in the Cabinet.

Ok I agreed with him that we need money for “social spending” and raising taxes is just one way of generate the fund.

First we must look at who you are taxing to fund your social spending and the money needs to be really given to those who really need help. Are you taxing all Singaporean to buy a gold taps or fund a Singer career?

I have a few suggestions on how to increase fund for social spending.

First cut the Minister’s pays, after all they are public servant and already have all the benefit of transports, medical and pensions.

Tax should increase only for the top earners in the country and reduced for the rest. This is so because the rich must have social responsibilities to the society since they earn their wealth from the people.

Although our population are ageing but technology is improving, so why should taxes be increased for the next 20 years? In fact it should remain the same if not cut due to advancement of science.

Finally what is happening to our reserve and country investment? If GIC earns from its investment, which it claims, then these profits should be used to fund social spending and not just for the government to play with. These are money belong to Singaporean.

Eng Hen scenario above is like:

You give your father 20% of you salary as an allowance. But on top of this you need to pay rental and utilities. Your father wants to rent his flats to an expat and he reduces the size of your room but increase the rent yearly. Meanwhile he used the money he earn from your allowance and the rental fees to gamble in the casino and claims he won every time but now he is asking you to give him more allowance for the next 20years so he can take care of you when you stop working.

Face palmed!

A Hero who I think worth more then the whole cabinets.

I happened to catch Tuesday Report on Channel 8 yesterday.

It was the last episode of the “Who is my Neighbour” series.

It feature Mr Foo Chee Tun who had been giving free tuitions at void deck to family for need help for the past 20 years.

His did not seek any help from any organisation nor did he seek any form of recognition. He selflessly gave up his time and money simply to help others.

There were times why jealous people broke the light at the void deck trying to prevent him from teaching but he went bought batteries powered lights to teach in the dark.

This guys is a hero man!

He should be given PBM or BBM.

I still wonder why these national awards are given to people who organise function for the MP and Minister instead of people like Mr Koh who quietly help others shying away from fames which so many jokers yearn for.

Sad country.

Try to catch this episode on XINMSN if you have missed it, it really shows the human spirits.

Same man, Same Speech, No Solution and he is on every channels!

I tried to watch the PM rally yesterday; actually it was quite easy as every channels on TV are showing it. I really make me wonder the logic behind it?

As usual, the same old stuff.

I didn’t really paid 100% attention to him (not like those at the auditorium who spontaneously break into laughter at every punch lines PM said) so these are some points I caught.

Hsien Loong as usual started off threatening us, telling us the world is in deep shit so you people have to keep your expectations low. Cost of living going up but not worry, his team are giving Singaporean lots of lots of helps but still no minimum wages.

He acknowledge there were shortage of pubic housing (he did not acknowledge is was a screwed up by his Minister a few years back), public transport are crowded so he is asking for Singaporean to be patient so his million dollars teams can come up with some long term solution hopefully before the next election.

Then he go on painting more dark pictures, telling us the world is not going to come out from the deep shit soon. So his team is asking you as a citizen to contribute to these million dollars Ministers who finally had learned to blogged, Twitter and are on Facebook. They want to engage Singaporean online! I guess he finally realised they cannot control the medial anymore.

Then again the talk about our need for foreigner and we need them for our country so we can have big bucks. We need to integrate with them and no worry his team will always give Singaporean first.

This is where my mind started drifting away.

But never mind, what Hsien Loong said is not much different from last year nor last last year.

He is telling us what problems Singaporeans are saying but again he did not offer any concrete solution. In fact, he is asking us to give him some solution.

This is a waste of time rally again.

Dumb Mother and Son

Teacher cuts pupil's hair, mum files police report
ST ONLINE 23 Aug 2012

A mother has lodged a police report after her 12-year-old son's teacher cut his hair an hour before his PSLE oral exam last Thursday.

The mother, Madam Serene Ong, is outraged that the teacher did this just before a crucial exam, that it was done without her knowledge - and that it ruined the boy's $60 haircut.

She claimed the teacher - Ms Belinda Cheng of Unity Primary - also threatened to deduct marks from the boy's exam if he refused to have his hair cut.

On Wednesday, the school's principal, Mrs Jasmail Singh Gill, agreed with Madam Ong that the teacher had no business cutting the boy's hair.



Ok I admit it is not the teacher business to cut the boy hair. She should just refer him to the school dicipline master and maybe this bloody Ryan missed his PSLE exam.

The paper did not report what really happend before the teacher cut the bloody kid's hair. Maybe he was challenging the teacher? Maybe he was showing off his $60 hair cut?

Look at this stupid Ryan, if I am the teacher I will give him a few tight slaps, so there is a reason why I am not a teacher. He look like a bloody cock and dear Susan, you wasted your $60.

The article points out the social problem of Singapore, we are all too self centered.

Ryan only care about his hair, although we don't know what happened in school before the exam so we cannot comment much.

Susan felt the teacher ruined her son $60 and may have caused him failed his PSLE (Which I think he will), and not doing what most parents will do, that is to report to the school principal, but she felt it was so important and dangerous that she has to make a police report. Poor policeman, I wonder what they want to charge the teacher for? Maybe they will give her a award!

Reasons for not having children in Singapore

1. I am not able to commit 100% of my life to the kids.

If you can’t spend time with your children then please do them a favour and not have any. I have seen people have kids just for the sake of having kids. They don’t spend time with them. Don’t educate them. Don’t play with them. They just dumped them to the maid and this is very wrong.

The kids will just ends up as social pests and make other Singaporean life like shits.


2. Singapore is an expensive place and not pro-family.

Imagine the cost of houses, public transports, education. We need to have 2 working parents to support a family in Singapore these days. Not to mention a high stress working environment, long working hours, MOM rule don’t even protect graduate mothers which were forced to leave the companies when they are pregnant.

We are constantly competing with cheap foreign workers and the government only give lips service or “baby bonus” without solving the root cause. Singapore needs a pro family society.



3. Education in Singapore is ridiculous.

I remember the time where I actually enjoy going to school. We study and play. Nowadays the kids have no time to play.

Parents are crazy, kiasu and mad. They start to educate the kids while they are still in the womb! Then send them for pre-school at 1 year old! Holy shit! The kids’ childhood are being robbed even before they are born.

Besides going to “branded” school, you are seen as a failure if your grad is no good. Therefore parents are spending billions on tuitions every year. Where are the funs of learning? It’s all competition these days. No wonder tuitions centres are earning big bucks these days. They prey on the parent’s kiasuism