Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Sun, 10 Jan 2016 10:53:07 GMT

A better tomorrow — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 10:53:07 GMT

Just curious , are the national exam fees still free for this year ?

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Sun, 10 Jan 2016 08:17:22 GMT

starlight1968sg — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 08:17:22 GMT

Arising from last Budget:

Singaporeans to receive SkillsFuture Credit activation letters by this month
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sin ... 11798.html
I wonder how would existing workers tap into this benefit.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 13 Mar 2015 02:34:39 GMT

jetsetter — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 02:34:39 GMT

pirate:
https://berthahenson.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/a-response-which-fails/

Somebody got Bertha Henson's goat.

Yep, read this ytd too. And DL's commentary and FB post the other day.

1) DL definitely has a point regarding \"Some revenues are excluded and some “expenditures” should not be wholly counted as spending in the current fiscal year. Consequently, Budget surpluses are understated and deficits overstated.’’.

Highly plausible for political reasons...even Ms BH thinks so? \"...a true picture of the country’s finances. That it is deliberately being opaque for some (nefarious?) reason.\"

DL was involved in Budget planning before. Formerly from MOF's Fiscal Policy div and PSD...Double first in econs, politics and philo from Oxford...Since 2011, been leaning twds the left in his http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/03/analyzing-budget-2015-properly/. I \"stalk\" DL very closely as I'm his fan, ever since Mr CSM shared DL's article 4 yrs ago on his FB :rahrah:

2) Dy Chair of GPC in Finance & TI, Mr LEH, probably didn't craft that forum letter. Google Parl website and check out his credentials...

3) GPC's views mirror NMP CYY's position - Rightist...
\"Many countries went overboard on welfare with the best of intentions but with unintended results, including massive unsustainable deficit. Now they are forced to cut back and restore financial sustainability, with the harshest impact on the young.\" We know why:)

4) GPC's cheap pot shot at DL's FB entry. Agree with Ms BH! Snooping at pp's FB status & Notes and using it to call pp \"insincere\" in a public letter... You mean we can't even rant on our own FB?

I don't dare to write \"intemperately worded\" Notes on my FB anymore.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 13 Mar 2015 01:45:03 GMT

pirate — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 01:45:03 GMT

https://berthahenson.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/a-response-which-fails/

Somebody got Bertha Henson's goat.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:50:12 GMT

starlight1968sg — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:50:12 GMT

Budget 2015: What is raising the CPF salary ceiling going to \"cost\" you?

http://business.asiaone.com/news/budget ... g-cost-you

quite an informative and \"lively\" article to read!

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Mon, 09 Mar 2015 07:01:02 GMT

starlight1968sg — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 07:01:02 GMT

Continuing to explore SkillsFuture:

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singap ... e-aerospac

Extracted from the above:
They will be in areas like aerospace, Information Technology (IT), and early childhood education, and also include courses in languages and culinary skills, which \"some may have a strong interest for and wish to explore career opportunities in\", he said in Parliament

\"Let me be very clear: the credits are meant to support training initiated by the individuals, not to fund training which employers send them for,\" said Mr Tan.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Sat, 07 Mar 2015 03:11:32 GMT

concern2 — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 03:11:32 GMT

Sun_2010:
concern2:

And these students get to receive tax payers' money even without having contributed anything to the economy...YET ..if they ever..
Concern2 that is wrongly quoted under my name.

I honestly cant agree with your comment. A lot people dont pay tax but benefit from schemes. A student from a low income house hold whose parents do not pay any tax , and is under financial assistance scheme ( fundeed by tax payer's money). So what did they contribute? Why even think like that?

That is not how we should look at such policies, imho.

Tax payers money is meant to be used for schemes for the best or atleast better interest of the people- different sections. You or I may not agree with the schemes. Perhaps you and I have not studied the schemes? Lets look long term. Even developing countries offer scholarships to international students...

Sorry about the wrong quotes, Sun_2010.

Low income families means they also work and contribute. (I am surprised you deem low income families as non-contributor to the economy!) What I want to know is what economic value do offering foreign students scholarships bring? Have studies been made to see how these scholarships have benefitted our economy over the years and is the ROI worth the while?

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 13:05:28 GMT

Sun_2010 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 13:05:28 GMT

concern2:
Sun_2010:

Parliamentary reply on 20 January 2014 by MOE to Mr. Png Eng Huat MP[quote]The tuition grants for international students total about $210 million per year...

And these students get to receive tax payers' money even without having contributed anything to the economy...YET ..if they ever..[/quote]Concern2 that is wrongly quoted under my name.

I honestly cant agree with your comment. A lot people dont pay tax but benefit from schemes. A student from a low income house hold whose parents do not pay any tax , and is under financial assistance scheme ( fundeed by tax payer's money). So what did they contribute? Why even think like that?

That is not how we should look at such policies, imho.

Tax payers money is meant to be used for schemes for the best or atleast better interest of the people- different sections. You or I may not agree with the schemes. Perhaps you and I have not studied the schemes? Lets look long term. Even developing countries offer scholarships to international students...

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:39:28 GMT

concern2 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:39:28 GMT

Sun_2010:

Parliamentary reply on 20 January 2014 by MOE to Mr. Png Eng Huat MP[quote]The tuition grants for international students total about $210 million per year...

[/quote]And these students get to receive tax payers' money even without having contributed anything to the economy...YET ..if they ever..

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:17:22 GMT

starlight1968sg — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:17:22 GMT

Singapore Budget 2015: Universities, polytechnics to offer 300 short courses from mid-2015

http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singap ... hort-cours

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 03:18:32 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 03:18:32 GMT

the extra expenses for the NDP fun pack for 1.2 million households will be sponsored by some corporate companies. so gahmen not paying the entire amount out from pocket. aiyoh, psle, o and a levels exam fees definitely cost more than $10 multiplied by the number of students taking IC.

sup sup sui lah (Cantonese for chicken feed)

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:59:49 GMT

pirate — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:59:49 GMT

Sun_2010:
From someone else then I would have thought it to be \"Whining\". But I hold your views in high regard so I suspect there is something i am missing. Would be happy if you elaborate...

I am saying that they are losing touch with the political ground.

The narrative of the malcontents is actually quite simple -

You give all these foreigners all sorts of grants and scholarships to come here. You give them all these places in our universities. In the meantime, I can't get in even though my results are good enough for some decent UK/US/Aussie university. I cannot afford to pay for the fees which keep going up every year. Even if my results are better than some of them, you still won't give me any scholarship. Then after they graduate, you want them to compete with me for jobs. They don't have study loans to repay. They don't even have to serve NS or go for reservist to boot. You think this is fair competition? Yada yada... 6.9m... rant rant rant... 4th class citizen... whine whine whine... Alvin Tan! And are you calling me stupid and lazy?

The policy makers better have some easy to understand narrative with clearly defined KPIs for this. Preferably also with versions in Malay, Tamil, Teochew and Hokkien...

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:34:31 GMT

jetsetter — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:34:31 GMT

janet88:
zbear:
[quote=\"janet88\"]Son turned 15. Time to register for NRIC.

Why is there a charge of $10? I feel that Singaporean citizens should not have to pay...but if the IC is lost, then it is fair to impose a fee to be paid for replacement.
Nothing is free in Singapore.

:evil:

obviously lah.
psle, o and a level also free. what is that $10 first time IC?
then at 30 years old, have to register for NRIC again. absorb that $10 is chicken feed for gahmen.[/quote]
Because you then get NDP50 Funpack for free mah...

Just joking...

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:32:46 GMT

jetsetter — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:32:46 GMT

pirate:
jetsetter:

Speech singled out by PM.
You do know who this CYY is hor? :siam:
She is the one that says that our CPF is not our money? It seems that PM agrees? :siam:

http://therealsingapore.com/content/dear-trs-nmp-nominee-sister-active-pap-member

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:32:12 GMT

janet88 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:32:12 GMT

zbear:
janet88:
Son turned 15. Time to register for NRIC.

Why is there a charge of $10? I feel that Singaporean citizens should not have to pay...but if the IC is lost, then it is fair to impose a fee to be paid for replacement.
Nothing is free in Singapore.

:evil:

obviously lah.
psle, o and a level also free. what is that $10 first time IC?
then at 30 years old, have to register for NRIC again. absorb that $10 is chicken feed for gahmen.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:30:40 GMT

pirate — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:30:40 GMT

jetsetter:
pirate:

NMP Chia Yong Yong on 3 March in Parliament[quote]I fear that if we lean too far to the left, we will have nothing left.

Speech singled out by PM.
You do know who this CYY is hor? :siam:[/quote]She is the one that says that our CPF is not our money? It seems that PM agrees? :siam:

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:26:24 GMT

Sun_2010 — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:26:24 GMT

pirate:
Here are some interesting figures:

2015 Singapore Budget:[quote]F.27. All in, these measures for students from the primary to post-secondary level will cost about $250 million over the next three years.

[quote]F.41. To provide further support for cost of living, we will provide one to three months of Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates. 1- and 2-room HDB households will receive a total of three months of rebates for this year, while 3- and 4-room households will receive two months of rebates. This will cost the Government $80 million.[/quote][quote]F.49. ...The duty rates for premium grade petrol will be increased by $0.20 per litre, and intermediate grade petrol by $0.15 per litre... These changes will take effect today, and yield about $177 million a year.[/quote]NMP Chia Yong Yong on 3 March in Parliament[quote]I fear that if we lean too far to the left, we will have nothing left.[/quote]Parliamentary reply on 20 January 2014 by MOE to Mr. Png Eng Huat MP[quote]The tuition grants for international students total about $210 million per year...[/quote][/quote]
From someone else then I would have thought it to be \"Whining\". But I hold your views in high regard so I suspect there is something i am missing. Would be happy if you elaborate...

What I mean by whining is this : You are giving others but not \"us\". But honestly International students give that to our kids what we cannot/dare not provide. Even third world countries offer scholarships to international students. When it comes to giving , why do we suddenly feel so poor?

One gripe is that they come and learn using our money and go for greener pastures...

International students give a taste of the world to our local kids. From personal anecdotes , I have noted that the kids who come are just the second best in their countries, come here learn english,which is the medium of instruction, adapt to a new environment away from home and within a couple of years are racing ahead. Their sheer tenacity is a humbling lesson to our children. They experience what \"hunger to grow\" looks like.
Jmho, if they stay that is a bonus. Even without, that they are an investment for our children.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:22:34 GMT

jetsetter — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:22:34 GMT

pirate:

NMP Chia Yong Yong on 3 March in Parliament[quote]I fear that if we lean too far to the left, we will have nothing left.

[/quote]Speech singled out by PM.
You do know who this CYY is hor? :siam:

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:20:03 GMT

jetsetter — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:20:03 GMT

Amongst them, NMP Kuik Shiao-Yin's speech stood out for me.

[quote]Ms Kuik became a mother shortly after being sworn in as NMP in September last year. She recalled: “During the madness of caring for a baby, I felt very grateful for whoever fought for the extension of maternity leave from two months to four months.

\"For a season, cashflow was tight in my own household. So when I got my notices in the mail about ... the Baby Bonus, first one-for-one savings top-up into (my) child's Child Development Account, and there was subsidised infantcare, I was very grateful for every single one of these policies.

“The news that this Budget provides even more care for working married mothers like me is great. But all this made me consider how much more relief and gratitude a single working mother would feel if she could receive what I had received.

“I admit I am unfamiliar with all the complexities behind the crafting of this policy ... But what I am more familiar with is how the policy makes single mothers feel. Some feel that they are being told that they and their children are not worthy. Some feel that they are being unfairly punished for choosing to take the harder road of going through with the pregnancy rather than aborting their child when their partners chose to run out on them.

“Some of us married mums are friends with such single working mums and we can testify to their work ethic, their refusal to make excuses and how devoted they are to raising their children well. We married mums would look at such single mums and just see women who have chosen to soldier alone in a very tough job meant for two and they need all the support they can get.

“Moreover, the children of single mothers are Singapore’s children too and if we are a nation already struggling to replace ourselves, should we not welcome any new young life that has been given unto Singapore with equal honour? Shouldn’t all Singaporean children be automatically included in the State’s blessing?\"[/quote]
:salute:

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:17:19 GMT

zbear — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:17:19 GMT

janet88:
Son turned 15. Time to register for NRIC.

Why is there a charge of $10? I feel that Singaporean citizens should not have to pay...but if the IC is lost, then it is fair to impose a fee to be paid for replacement.

Nothing is free in Singapore.

:evil:

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:08:05 GMT

pirate — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:08:05 GMT

Here are some interesting figures:

2015 Singapore Budget:[quote]F.27. All in, these measures for students from the primary to post-secondary level will cost about $250 million over the next three years.[/quote][quote]F.41. To provide further support for cost of living, we will provide one to three months of Service & Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates. 1- and 2-room HDB households will receive a total of three months of rebates for this year, while 3- and 4-room households will receive two months of rebates. This will cost the Government $80 million.[/quote][quote]F.49. ...The duty rates for premium grade petrol will be increased by $0.20 per litre, and intermediate grade petrol by $0.15 per litre... These changes will take effect today, and yield about $177 million a year.[/quote]NMP Chia Yong Yong on 3 March in Parliament[quote]I fear that if we lean too far to the left, we will have nothing left.[/quote]Parliamentary reply on 20 January 2014 by MOE to Mr. Png Eng Huat MP[quote]The tuition grants for international students total about $210 million per year...[/quote]

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Thu, 05 Mar 2015 15:07:35 GMT

janet88 — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 15:07:35 GMT

Son turned 15. Time to register for NRIC.

Why is there a charge of $10? I feel that Singaporean citizens should not have to pay…but if the IC is lost, then it is fair to impose a fee to be paid for replacement.

Reply to Budget 2015 on 23 Feb 2015 on Sun, 01 Mar 2015 02:01:53 GMT

concern2 — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 02:01:53 GMT

-deleted - repeated post