Budget 2014

[JHolmesJr]

Lol.....the dogs bark, and the caravan keeps marching....because the caravan has no choice.

 

[TracyTan866]

all the dubious hospital and outpatient subsidy are pure bullshit.

eg, is they give 50% subsidy for for a fee of $10, one pays $5

when isubsidy is increased to 60%, but fee upped to $13, in fact you will need to pay $5.20, overall 20c more from previous.

just you wait and you will see. hahahhahahahahahaaaa..........

we need to expose the pap lies. these are not subsidies. these are just reduced profits

 

[TracyTan866]

Same tactic used over and over again. Repackage product alittle bit, increase the price 30% more, and say give u 10% discount for same old product in different packaging.

Donno which dept in pappies do such marketing? Me want to apply job leh.

more and more singaporeans are seeing through the tactics used by the pap to hoodwink singaporeans. these tactics are getting less effective and it wont be long before more singaporeans turn against the pap

 

[TracyTan866]

Lol.....the dogs bark, and the caravan keeps marching....because the caravan has no choice.

caravans march? caravans have no choice?

 

[zhihau]

more singaporeans turn against the pap

just wondering if a snap poll would be called soon after the old fart is dead...

 

[TracyTan866]

just wondering if a snap poll would be called soon after the old fart is dead...

that's a big gamble and is a big question mark.

pap is in deep trouble. Budget 2014 shows PAP is bankrupt of ideas. LHL and the pap are now at the lowest point of their popularity. will support continue to slide?

is it better for LHL to cut losses and secure another 5years or risk losing more seats by going ont ill 2016?

 

[zhihau]

will support continue to slide?

what a question to ask... of course i would support them when they're oppositions :p:p:p

 

[TracyTan866]

what a question to ask... of course i would support them when they're oppositions :p:p:p

hahaha...looks like LHL have to cut losses early otherwise pap may go into opposition at the next GE.

I guess the biggest challenge for WP may not the pap. the biggest challenge for WP forming the next Govt is whether it can get enough hands and legs to walk the ground shd it form the next govt.

the pap appears to self destruct. WP just have to sit back, collate the bad pap policies, highlight these bad policies at the Election rallies and watch the self destruction.

 

[ykhuser]

that's a big gamble and is a big question mark.

pap is in deep trouble. Budget 2014 shows PAP is bankrupt of ideas. LHL and the pap are now at the lowest point of their popularity. will support continue to slide?

is it better for LHL to cut losses and secure another 5years or risk losing more seats by going ont ill 2016?

i doubt wp will have any threat on lhl in the next 2 polls.
look at how wp perform at current, they are not ready to form the new gov.
for your info, i am not a supporter of these 2 party.
if ltk is not ready, needless to talk about nicole seah, goh meng seng, linda from spp ,ken from rp

the threat to lhl probably come from the internal party itself.some may be eyeing the th

 

[TracyTan866]

i doubt wp will have any threat on lhl in the next 2 polls.
look at how wp perform at current, they are not ready to form the new gov.
for your info, i am not a supporter of these 2 party.
if ltk is not ready, needless to talk about nicole seah, goh meng seng, linda from spp ,ken from rp

the threat to lhl probably come from the internal party itself.some may be eyeing the th

you are probably right that WP is not ready to take over the govt. i think they dont have enough candidates nor enough hands and legs to run SG. Given a choice, perhaps they wont want to take over at the next GE.

But pap and SG are in quite bad shap. Does the Opposition want to wait and wait before it takes over? It's between taking over at the earliest opportunity or taking over when you are more ready. Waiting until you are more ready may mean that SG would have deteriorated further.

So it is a decision the Opposition has to weigh carefully...Go for the big kill at the next GE or take incremental steps

 

[TracyTan866]

the threat to lhl probably come from the internal party itself.some may be eyeing the th

that's a good option for SG.

LHL is the main culprit and must go. will we see a group within PAP ousting the culprit?

 

[bakkuttay]

no strings attached in hk and macau aid

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=139555&sid=40875247&con_type=1

Chui dishes out goodies again with 9,000 patacas to locals

Hilary Wong

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

ADVERTISEMENT

Macau permanent residents are to get a 9,000 pataca (HK$8,730) cash handout next year - 1,000 patacas more than this year - and a 30 percent cut in income tax.

The elderly will see their subsidy raised from 6,600 patacas to 7,000 patacas while public housing tenants will receive one year's free rent. It is the seventh successive year Macau is offering cash handouts with even non-permanent residents getting 5,400 patacas each.

In his policy speech yesterday, Macau Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on also said the personal tax allowance will be raised from 95,000 patacas to 144,000 patacas. He said the unemployment rate reached a low of 1.9 percent in the third quarter and that Macau had total reserves of 249 billion patacas - 119 billion patacas in basic reserves and the equivalent of 130 billion patacas in foreign currency reserves.

The government will also add 10,000 patacas to the Provident Fund accounts of residents with another 7,000 patacas from the budget surplus to be added next year.

Hong Kong lawmaker Peter Cheung Kwok-che said Chui's handouts will not put pressure on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to announce similar measures in his upcoming policy address. The government was criticized by some sectors in 2011 when it gave a HK$6,000 cash handout to all permanent residents aged 18 and over.

Social welfare lawmaker Cheung said he does not agree with cash giveaways as they do not solve long- term problems. "Many used the money to buy electronic devices, go on holiday or for personal enjoyment. The money should be spent on things that can improve citizens' lives, or at least solve housing problems and the construction of infrastructure," he said.

Cheung said he hopes Leung will not only make plans but carry out feasible policies. "For example, government should invest more on technological development and train talent. We see South Korea is expanding in this aspect but our government does not care about it."

He added the funds offered by the government are insufficient to resolve the poverty problem.

Chinese University of Hong Kong economics professor Terence Chong Tai-leung also feels Chui's handouts will not influence Leung. "People will complain whether or not they receive handouts," Chong said.

He said the money should be spent on long-term issues like medical services, elderly livelihood and poverty.


http://www.thechinatimes.com/online/2011/10/1616.html

HK residents to receive 6,000 HK dollars through cash giveaway scheme

The 6,000 Hong Kong dollars ($700 U.S.) giveaway was announced earlier this year by Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Donald Tsang.

While much of the world worries about economic recession, Hong Kong’s fiscal situation is one to envy. The former British colony, which reverted to China’s control in 1997, remains a booming port of capitalism. Second quarter GDP growth this year was just below 10 percent. Unemployment is under 3.5 percent. There is so much money in the government coffers that next month, it will begin giving some it away. All 6.1 million adult permanent residents are to receive 6,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $700 U.S.). But not all of the prospective recipients are rejoicing.

These are some of the Hong Kong residents most in need of extra cash. Unable to afford soaring rents amid a shortage of public housing, they live in illegal units atop a ramshackle industrial building from which they face eviction by the government.

Lee Oi Lin is a former caretaker, now unable to work because of injuries. She lives with a dog and a cat in an illegally-subdivided unit, a space the size of a closet, barely 4.5 square meters.

“There’s so much talk in this building about moving to a nicer place. But 6,000 (Hong Kong) dollars is not enough. To rent a place, you need two months down payment and one month’s deposit plus the agent’s fee, so it is four months rent up front to move into a decent place. Here there is no down payment, deposit and all that. We just pay 1,500 dollars and that is all. If I use my 6,000 dollars to rent, then I will not have enough money to eat,” he said.

The 6,000 Hong Kong dollars ($700 U.S.) giveaway was announced earlier this year by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Donald Tsang. He has followed that now with a revival of a program for subsidized home ownership for low and middle income earners. “We are not optimistic about global economic prospects next year. We may see inflation and recession come one after the other. In response to this, we will implement short-term measures to ease the burden on the grassroots,” he said.

While the scheme is aimed at addressing the housing shortage and high rents, critics say the subsidies and handouts are unlikely to reverse the declining popularity of Tsang’s administration.

Among such skeptics is the leader of the opposition Civic Party, lawyer and lawmaker Alan Leong. “To his disappointment and dismay his popularity has not gone up as a result of this cash handout. And this, I think, is explained by the frustration being felt by Hong Kong people that this administration is not doing things for the long-term good of Hong Kong,” he said.

Some critics are predicting that the cash handouts could further fuel Hong Kong’s inflation which has surged to its fastest pace in 15 years. “But the government has come up with this idea that if you decide to collect the 6,000 (Hong Kong dollars) over a longer period of time you can earn interest of, I think, 200 (Hong Kong) dollars by collecting that a year later. So that may be seen as a measure to actually deal with this possibility of inflation being fueled. How effective it is is yet to be seen. But we are, in fact, worried,” he said.

The rising costs worry residents in the tiny, illegal units atop this gloomy old Kowloon garment factory. They say while the world may envy Hong Kong’s success and cash surplus, the only thing they see trickling down to them is the rain through the leaky roof.

 

[zhihau]

pap appears to self destruct.

looking at the number of sycophants within its ranks, if PAP doesn't self destruct, i'll be surprised :p:p:p

 

[TracyTan866]

most countries, except SG, have compassion for their people

 

[TracyTan866]

looking at the number of sycophants within its ranks, if PAP doesn't self destruct, i'll be surprised :p:p:p

many of them are not leaders and dont care abt SG nor Singaporeans. They are more self serving and are working to prolong their $3m per year salary.

what we need are true leaders who care for SG and Singaporeans

 

[zhihau]

what we need are true leaders who care for SG and Singaporeans

self preservation is an innate trait, what we need are selfless individuals whom put Singapore and Singaporeans before themselves

 

[TracyTan866]

self preservation is an innate trait, what we need are selfless individuals whom put Singapore and Singaporeans before themselves

true what you said are altruistic people who serve the country and people. Perhaps we had the fortune of young LKY, GKS , TCC, etc.

But now, we dare not expect altruistic people. what we need are just leaders who care for SG and Singaporeans and not the present pap which only cares abt serving themselves

 

[TracyTan866]

just wondering if a snap poll would be called soon after the old fart is dead...

if a snap election is called, how many seats do u think pap will get?

 

[zhihau]

if a snap election is called, how many seats do u think pap will get?

i don't know until i spend an awful lot of time drinking coffee all around the island :p:p:p

 

[TracyTan866]

i don't know until i spend an awful lot of time drinking coffee all around the island :p:p:p

You are right. Many seats wld be too close to call. Also, it depends on PAP's gerrymandering....redrawing of constituency boundaries, more SMCs or more GRCs.

But I am optimistic. I predict that the Opposition wld win many more seats and the PAP's share of popular votes wld fall significantly