A.S.S gets into trouble with local celebrity Jamie Yeo

Image Source: Shutdown TRS thttps://www.facebook.com/shutdowntrs/photos/a.1438069629738857.1073741828.1437466759799144/1678015182410966/?type=3&theater

Here is a screen-grab of A.S.S's original post

Jamie Yeo's response to A.S.S's post is as follows:

All Singapore Stuff, I did NOT speak to you or authorize you to use my photo in this manner. You are entitled to your opinion but I do not agree with your general views and I sure as hell do not agree with your false accusations of our government who have only strived hard to make this place safe, conducive and reasonably priced for my daughter. Have you even done your research on how much more expensive it is to raise a child in other cities like London and New York??? Please take this post down asap. (This photo was shot for straits times a while ago). Singapore Police Force MediaCorp

Source: Jamie Yeo's Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153792900985337&set=a.397776525336.190983.613110336&type=3&theater

FiveStarsAndaMoon even had a detailed breakdown of what was wrong with the A.S.S post, including all the points that could make A.S.S legally liable.

Source: FiveStarsAndaMoon - http://www.fivestarsandamoon.com/kicking-ass-at-the-moment-jamie-yeo/

More misleading half-truths about CPF

Trashy, anti-govt "media" websites like TRE continuously mislead people by spreading half-truths about the CPF system.

Yes, the interest rates for CPF are between 2.5% and 4% (depending on which account you are referring to). But these are returns which are guaranteed by the SG Govt, the only AAA-rated (by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch) government in Asia, and is absolutely risk free.

If TRE wants to complain that the interest rates are not good enough, then don't just complain. Show us what alternatives you can come up with that have:
(1) Higher returns than CPF
(2) Is guaranteed
(3) Is Risk Free.

And better yet, if our CPF system was so bad, then explain why are more people putting more money into their CPF accounts voluntarily?

And CPF skeptics should read read the HSBC article and do their own research on retirement planning. The plain facts are that due to the increase life expectancy and expected inflation - we just simply need to put more money aside for our retirement.

"According to the HSBC-commissioned independent research study into global retirement trends, The Future of Retirement: A balancing act, future retirees in Singapore foresee their savings to last only 13 out of an average of 23 years in retirement.

The study, which involved more than 16,000 people from 15 countries including 1,000 Singapore respondents, also found that the key reasons for a retiree's savings shortfall are: lack of financial preparation during their working years, negative impacts of economic downturn as well as other life events.

The global report by HSBC also examines the pressures surrounding working age savers and retiree spenders, their different approaches to secure a desired standard of retirement life and also global retirement trends."

HSBC Research: Singaporeans financially unprepared for retirement
http://business.asiaone.com/news/singaporeans-financially-unprepared-retirement-hsbc-research#sthash.l6XbrJhS.dpuf


=========================================================

More making voluntary contributions to CPF accounts

SINGAPORE: More Singaporeans are making voluntary contributions to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts. According to the CPF Board, these top-ups amounted to about S$500 million last year, up 25 per cent compared to 2013.

One such Singaporean is former investment analyst Lim Chin Yong, who retired in 2012. The 56-year-old has been making voluntary contributions to his own CPF account for the past two years, to earn higher interest on his savings.

Last year, he also topped up his wife's retirement account, so that she can be eligible for the CPF LIFE Scheme.

"CPF LIFE to me - at the time when I was looking at it, in 2014 - when you contribute, a minimum of S$148,000, it will guarantee you something like S$1,000 to S$1,200 from 65 until (you turn) 80 or 85, or until you die. S$1,000 to S$1,200 - it doesn't take you far, so I decided to put money into my wife's account so that she can have her own income stream of S$1,200 when she retires,” said Mr Lim.

Mr Lim is not alone. According to the CPF Board, there were nearly 74,811 top-ups last year, up 24 per cent compared to 2013.

Said Associate Professor Jeremy Goh from the Singapore Management University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business: “When people make decisions like topping up their CPF accounts and looking at how much are the rates that are being paid, they are also looking at what the alternatives are. So if the alternatives out there are not as attractive as the one offered by CPF, then they will choose to top up. When people top up their CPF accounts, it just signals to me at least, that the rates seem pretty attractive.”

If what you want are risk-free returns and a higher annuity payout after retirement, financial advisors say you may be better off putting your spare cash into your CPF accounts. But for those with no spare cash on hand, it might be best to increase your income, experts recommend.

Said Mr Tan Siak Lim, financial advisory director at Financial Alliance: "There are not a lot of solutions, to be honest, other than to try to increase their income, because everything starts from your income. If you don't have excess funds, obviously you'd want all your money to be out, for your daily bread-and-butter necessities."

Currently, Singaporeans with sufficient balances in their Retirement Accounts at age 55 will automatically be placed under the CPF LIFE scheme. This is S$60,000 at the payout eligibility age for those turning 55 on Jan 1, 2016 or after.

For those turning 55 between Jan 1, 2013 to Dec 31, 2015, there must be at least S$40,000 in the Retirement Account at 55 years old, or at least S$60,000 in the Retirement Account at payout eligibility age, which is currently at 65.

According to the CPF Board website, those with insufficient funds can also apply to join CPF LIFE.

- CNA/dl



Sources:

Image: Shut Down TRS Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/shutdowntrs/photos/a.1438069629738857.1073741828.1437466759799144/1674937516052066/?type=3&theater

Channel News Asia - More making voluntary contributions to CPF accounts

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/more-making-voluntary/2136430.html

HSBC Research: Singaporeans financially unprepared for retirement
http://business.asiaone.com/news/singaporeans-financially-unprepared-retirement-hsbc-research#sthash.l6XbrJhS.dpuf

The Guardian - The AAA-rated club: which countries still make the grade?

http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2014/oct/15/the-aaa-rated-club-which-countries-still-make-the-grade

More rubbish logic from Opposition Media about the MRT breakdowns

By Shutdown TRS (Facebook)

Rubbish sites like The Alternative View should read the article before basing their judgement just the headlines.

A power trip between Farrer Park station and Boon Keng station last year were actually caused by a balloon. It might sounds impossible and hard for rubbish sites to digest but these problems are rather common in cities like Hong Kong.

So before making any judgement, asserting it is impossible for such things to happen, rubbish sites should learn more about the wonders of science and chemistry.

[While incidents of balloons causing power trips are rare here, they happen more often in cities like Hong Kong, where there are signs telling people not to take balloons into train stations.

According to a Hong Kong magazine, the ban was started in 1996, when a Minnie Mouse balloon floated into a tunnel at rush hour. The resulting short circuit halted all trains between Admiralty and Quarry Bay - both interchange stations - for 1 ½ hours and affected 100,000 commuters.]

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/train-stalled-it-may-be-balloons-fault

Image source: Shutdown TRS 

https://www.facebook.com/shutdowntrs/photos/a.1438069629738857.1073741828.1437466759799144/1674198019459349/?type=3&theater

Gilbert Goh - No freedom of speech in S'pore??

Notes

Gilbert Goh, together with M Ravi, Roy Ngerng, Osman Sulaiman, Jesse Loo and Siva Chandran, stood as a Reform Party Team to contest Ang Mo Kio GRC in GE2015 against PAP. (RP 21.36% PAP 78.64%)

Image Source: Shut Down TRS
https://scontent-hkg3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/12105965_1673118319567319_9173040985713387476_n.jpg?oh=53ed6d55b50e848c106d5fb96498528c&oe=56866582

STR tries to pull a fast one on readers

Either Alex Tan failed his comprehension during school or he deliberately mislead his readers by claiming NTUC Fairprice was involved in the forest burning in Indonesia.

It was APP that was served notice by NEA not NTUC Fairprice. 

NTUC Fairprice which carries APP products are only seeking clarifications about the NEA notice served to APP!

[Supermarket chain FairPrice, which carries APP products, said it is seeking clarification from the company on the notice from NEA.

“FairPrice cares for our environment and encourages our partners to adopt sustainable practices in their operations. We are deeply concerned over this matter and are in contact with our suppliers to seek clarification from them,” its spokesperson said.]
Source:

CNA 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/our-firefighters-are/2153030.html

Shut Down TRS 

https://www.facebook.com/shutdowntrs/photos/a.1438069629738857.1073741828.1437466759799144/1669397349939416/?type=3&theater

GE 2015 fear mongering: Opposition (SDP) claims GST increase to 10% coming soon.

So now we know who is behind those stickers spreading lies / fear mongering about GST. 

Chee Soon Juan can put up an act to fool some of us, but leopard does not change its spot, because according to Chee himself, "CHARACTER IS PERMANENT". Thanks Dr Chee for reminding us.

MOF dismisses online claims that GST will be raised after GE (2015)

TODAY, Published: 4:25 PM, August 8, 2015

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Finance (MOF) says there is “no basis” to claims made by some online websites that the Government will raise the Goods and Services Tax (GST) after the upcoming General Election (GE).

In a post on the gov.sg website on Thursday (Aug 6), the MOF said that online chatter, which claimed that GST would be increased to 10 per cent, were “inconsistent with what the Government has recently stated”.

“In the 2015 Budget Statement in February, DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam stated that the revenue measures the Government had already undertaken will provide sufficiently for the increased spending planned for the rest of this decade,” the MOF noted.

Among the measures is the inclusion of Temasek Holdings in the Government’s Net Investment Returns (NIR) framework from 2016, and the increase in the top marginal rates for personal income tax from Year of Assessment 2017. The statement added: “These measures came after moves in recent years to make Singapore’s property tax rates more progressive, with significantly increased tax rates for high value residential properties, offsetting reduced tax rates for lower value homes.”

GST was first introduced 21 years ago in 1994 at 3 per cent. It has remained at 7 per cent since July 2007.

Sources: 

Today Online 

http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/mof-dismisses-online-claims-gst-will-be-raised-after-ge

The Statement for Budget 2015, delivered by DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said,

“Based on current projections, the revenue measures we have undertaken will provide sufficiently for the increased spending needs we have planned for till the end of this decade.” 

( Refer to paragraph G38 of the Budget Speech http://www.singaporebudget.gov.sg/budget_2015/pg.aspx ) 

The Hansard record of DPM Tharman’s Round-Up Speech for Budget 2015.

http://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/topic.jsp?currentTopicID=00007428-WA&currentPubID=00007404-WA&topicKey=00007404-WA.00007428-WA_3%2Bbudget%2B

Dollars And Sense - Will GST In Singapore Be Raised To 10%?

http://dollarsandsense.sg/will-gst-in-singapore-be-raised-to-10/

Fabrications About The PAP

https://www.facebook.com/FabricationsAboutThePAP/photos/a.245735922149090.70599.213440582045291/898898473499495/?type=3&theater

Shut down TRS

https://www.facebook.com/shutdowntrs/photos/a.1438069629738857.1073741828.1437466759799144/1665924606953357/?type=3&theater