Disappointed by disrespectful Gen Y
I AM hurt by the behaviour of our disrespectful and immature youth on the Internet.
Our education policy has helped them get good-paying jobs and a head start in life, but it has also led to a rebellious and ungracious Generation Y.
Singapore is our home, where we live as brothers and sisters. We contribute our taxes into a shared "pot". The larger the pot, the more money we have to improve our families' welfare and services, like quality housing, transport, health care and education.
For direct taxes, we try to collect less from poorer siblings. For indirect taxes like the goods and services tax (GST), we contribute based on how much we consume. This system is fair and helps us redistribute money to any sibling who is in need.
We invite foreigners to our house to work and contribute to our growth. Foreign visitors contribute by paying indirect taxes.
Some people are calling for the abolishment of GST on basic necessities, health care and education, thinking it will benefit our poorer siblings more. By doing so, we will lose a bigger bulk of contributions from our richer siblings and foreigners.
Moreover, by removing GST on selected goods, it will adversely lead to suppliers increasing their base prices.
To compensate for this "loss" of GST income, some people are calling for higher income taxes for the richer siblings. A high income tax leads to a disincentive to work. Foreigners will work elsewhere. Why do we penalise people who work harder to build up our pot?
As any country grows, income inequality will increase. Singapore is not spared because of our system of meritocracy, which improved our standard of living rapidly. To reduce the income gap, we give direct benefits to the poor and provide opportunities for them to upgrade and earn more.
We elect the most capable siblings to manage our pot of money effectively and equitably. We entrust them to craft good policies and make decisions on our behalf. We agree that high pay to attract the top brains as ministers is in the best interest of our family, as they shoulder the most important responsibilities.
Our leaders earned our respect as siblings who worked tirelessly just to give us an ideal home in which to work, live and play. They sacrificed their privacy and worked most of their lives with commitment and passion. The price tag of this job for our country's stability, peace and progress is priceless.
Peter Koh
I AM hurt by the behaviour of our disrespectful and immature youth on the Internet.
Our education policy has helped them get good-paying jobs and a head start in life, but it has also led to a rebellious and ungracious Generation Y.
Singapore is our home, where we live as brothers and sisters. We contribute our taxes into a shared "pot". The larger the pot, the more money we have to improve our families' welfare and services, like quality housing, transport, health care and education.
For direct taxes, we try to collect less from poorer siblings. For indirect taxes like the goods and services tax (GST), we contribute based on how much we consume. This system is fair and helps us redistribute money to any sibling who is in need.
We invite foreigners to our house to work and contribute to our growth. Foreign visitors contribute by paying indirect taxes.
Some people are calling for the abolishment of GST on basic necessities, health care and education, thinking it will benefit our poorer siblings more. By doing so, we will lose a bigger bulk of contributions from our richer siblings and foreigners.
Moreover, by removing GST on selected goods, it will adversely lead to suppliers increasing their base prices.
To compensate for this "loss" of GST income, some people are calling for higher income taxes for the richer siblings. A high income tax leads to a disincentive to work. Foreigners will work elsewhere. Why do we penalise people who work harder to build up our pot?
As any country grows, income inequality will increase. Singapore is not spared because of our system of meritocracy, which improved our standard of living rapidly. To reduce the income gap, we give direct benefits to the poor and provide opportunities for them to upgrade and earn more.
We elect the most capable siblings to manage our pot of money effectively and equitably. We entrust them to craft good policies and make decisions on our behalf. We agree that high pay to attract the top brains as ministers is in the best interest of our family, as they shoulder the most important responsibilities.
Our leaders earned our respect as siblings who worked tirelessly just to give us an ideal home in which to work, live and play. They sacrificed their privacy and worked most of their lives with commitment and passion. The price tag of this job for our country's stability, peace and progress is priceless.
Peter Koh
