Maids, unless necessary, should be an appropriately priced luxury.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hfourhappy (22Mar2012) Topic: The rich want cheap maids, cheap FT so NO to minimum wage rule in Singapore? I dont think hiring a hiring a miad is cheap in spore. Not all household can afford to hire a miad.

Tks for reply.
Guess this thread was partly prompted by Mr Thaman's suggestion that taxes would have to be raised post 2016
[Source: New ways to raise revenue needed, says DPM Tharman TDY; 02Mar2012]

As well as Mr K Shanmugam 'Looking out for the young and old' [CNA:12Mar2012] saying "only about 50 per cent of Singaporeans pay taxes".

That rather than purporting that the rich and foreigners pay too much in tax, the fact that the FDW levy is only half that of many other work permit holders in various sectors preferentially benefits the rich, many of whom employ maids for household chores which includes everything from childcare to car care to the extent that there were 196,000 FDW in Singapore in 2010 (>20% of ALL work permit holders being a FDW).

So whilst the inflation in price of labour in Singapore is set to increase along with the increase in FW levies, these rich Singaporeans/ employers of FDWs do not see any inflation in the cost of hiring their FDW whilst they drive around in their polished cars and dress like Tai Tai's.

Also, whilst almost any FW (mfc, svc etc sectors) see their pay cut due to the employer having to pay the FW levy (up to S$600/mth), employment pass holders (PAP's famed pinnacle foreign talents) do not pay a cent in FW levies this making them relatively cheap to hire (a discount of $7200p.a. in levy tax from the start): all this causing great distortions in the foreign labour market as Singaporeans become in demand at lower paying (work-permit level) jobs (employer saves on levy) but shunned in terms of training and promotion opportunities at higher levels (foreigner employment pass holders are employed at zero payable work levy). So do all employment pass holding foreigners pay at least $7200 in income taxes annually as they take away well paying jobs and opportunities from Singaporeans? No, but this doesn't matter to the PAP government because as long as Singaporean CEOs are earning much money, politicians in Singapore will never go hungry. [see pict below].

Not forgetting, the relatively cheap FDW levy means that Singaporeans doing such jobs get penalized with low salaries since the incentive to pay Singaporeans more for such services then becomes minimal. Even Singaporean car polishers have their pay cut as many maids are also expected to polish their master's family cars.

If this isn't mismanagement of the economy and an insult to the dignity of many Singaporeans, then what is?

The hiring of a maid should never be cheap and shouldn't be done unless absolutely necessary: maids also should be given time of to study and not made to do every chore possible within the vicinity: that is exploitation.

Likewise, we do not kidnap children to serve in our army.

As mentioned, most Singaporeans simply don't have high paying jobs because foreigners on employment pass are taking them up for free. Without the promotion opportunities and resigned to being stuck in their HDB, most Singaporeans will remain average for the majority part of their lives, few who toe the party line would then join the PAP and then have a chance to earn stratospheric salaries, thanks to the conspiracy between rich Singaporeans and their foreign counterparts who get to work for a high pay in Singapore totally levy free.

We Singaporeans are indeed 'muppets' to be paying PM Lee such a very high salary for all his micro-(mis)-management of the Singapore economy.

[Chairs that MOM office staff use: source]
PS: If all foreigners paid the same levy, then the staffing at MOM and their cushy seats will have to go 'Ergonomic chairs offer best value for money: MOM' [MOM Press release, Mar2011]... too bad for the PAP and all its over paid cronies, they will just have to get real jobs serving others and not manipulate them for money.

PS:
Those with special need might be able to (based upon disability): choose either a subsidy voucher for the sue of part time home care/ nursing home stay or a discount on maid levy or simply a medisave top-up. This would properly take care of the truly needy.

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22Mar2012: Cheap maids, cheap FT vs min. salary rule in Singapore?