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Affordability in Singapore...
It is strange isn't it? Whenever something goes up sharply in price, instead of finding ways to bring down or stabilise the price, our govt spends so much effort explaining to us why it is still affordable.
The HDB resale prices rose something like 40% in less than 2 years. How many people's income rose 40%? Whatever it is, HDB flats now are LESS AFFORDABLE. Whether it is still affordable is a subjective...it depends of what criteria you use to measure affordability. There is no point arguing if it is affordable or not. It is definitely LESS AFFORDABLE than before. HDB can always argue cheaper resale flats are available in faraway locations like Woodlands etc. Or you can buy a smaller flat and so on. We see the same thing happening for healthcare cost which is also rising faster than income. The truth is for the same job a person does, he now can afford less and that is a fact. We are all climbing this motorised stepper...at increasing speeds, you work harder just to stay at the same position. We are told to 'lower our expectations' because the system now yield less for the working class per unit of work. That is the heart of the problem. How does the PAP govt persuade people to accept and participate in such a system?
posted by LuckySingaporean at 6:34 AM | 19 comments links to this post
Affordability in Singapore...
It is strange isn't it? Whenever something goes up sharply in price, instead of finding ways to bring down or stabilise the price, our govt spends so much effort explaining to us why it is still affordable.
The HDB resale prices rose something like 40% in less than 2 years. How many people's income rose 40%? Whatever it is, HDB flats now are LESS AFFORDABLE. Whether it is still affordable is a subjective...it depends of what criteria you use to measure affordability. There is no point arguing if it is affordable or not. It is definitely LESS AFFORDABLE than before. HDB can always argue cheaper resale flats are available in faraway locations like Woodlands etc. Or you can buy a smaller flat and so on. We see the same thing happening for healthcare cost which is also rising faster than income. The truth is for the same job a person does, he now can afford less and that is a fact. We are all climbing this motorised stepper...at increasing speeds, you work harder just to stay at the same position. We are told to 'lower our expectations' because the system now yield less for the working class per unit of work. That is the heart of the problem. How does the PAP govt persuade people to accept and participate in such a system?
posted by LuckySingaporean at 6:34 AM | 19 comments links to this post
