Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The Wealth Divide
Hi,
The rich get richer and the poor become poorer.
On the day I got my first pay packet, oh my heaven, how rich I was ! I had my own money to spend, and I was no longer dependant on anybody. It was a great feeling. People around were equally satisfied and happy, and money was moving: from the pay packet into the hands of the white turban bhai the moneylender, into the Widows and Orphans fund and into the Life endowment policy insurance companies. That was how I came to know about all these money schemes. Then there was the Income tax to be levied from our earnings. All these had their purposes, for the situation, for our dependants, for our old age and for the nation; thus they were well absorbed within our strides.
Those who earned more pay more income tax, it was a very fair system, and our government took care of its citizens. Education was free, it was even compulsory. And there were government facilities for the people to enhance themselves, like the National Library, the National Museum, the Botanic Gardens and other places of interest I cannot remember. People who were very rich also provided enjoyment and care free in other ways, like the Haw Par Villas, the Jade House, and other charitable institutions like the Cheshire Homes, the Red Cross and mission hospitals.
The world must change and people must adjust and adapt; so it was with all of us. Policy changed, we moved along, we moved on; and people busied themselves without paying much attention to the changes over the years. Little bit by little bit the mosaic pattern of our lives transformed, and it went on and on.
Then, one day, about half a century later, someone, a very important person, made a speech. The topic came into the open and there was an awakening and a stocktaking. Visits to most of the places of interest and of educational values are not free, like the Zoological Gardens, the Science Center, the Chinese Gardens, the Japanese Gardens, the aquariums, the butterfly museum. Schools turned into premier institutions and school fees reflect their class. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten attendance became a necessity to enable the little ones not to lose the equality towards putting a foot into the schools of choice. Employment opportunities are based on meritocracy, so people do not want to lack behind or disadvantaged. Thus they slog and pay by all means.
Also, people who do not earn money also pay tax, particularly the GST, the goods and services tax. Any person living needs goods and services, thus everyone, whether he or she is economically active or not pays this tax. Even those people near the end term of their lives, those on life support, the bed-ridden, those on charity, those in the wombs, the babies, the demanding kids, our pets and anything that lives and are dependant on us pay tax.
In the past, only the bread winner paid tax; I earned I paid.
At present, the whole family pay tax; we live I pay.
The law makers and those in power are concerned about the increasing poor and the increasingly poorer situation.
Is not the GST the major cause of all this?
Have a nice day
Ronald
The rich get richer and the poor become poorer.
On the day I got my first pay packet, oh my heaven, how rich I was ! I had my own money to spend, and I was no longer dependant on anybody. It was a great feeling. People around were equally satisfied and happy, and money was moving: from the pay packet into the hands of the white turban bhai the moneylender, into the Widows and Orphans fund and into the Life endowment policy insurance companies. That was how I came to know about all these money schemes. Then there was the Income tax to be levied from our earnings. All these had their purposes, for the situation, for our dependants, for our old age and for the nation; thus they were well absorbed within our strides.
Those who earned more pay more income tax, it was a very fair system, and our government took care of its citizens. Education was free, it was even compulsory. And there were government facilities for the people to enhance themselves, like the National Library, the National Museum, the Botanic Gardens and other places of interest I cannot remember. People who were very rich also provided enjoyment and care free in other ways, like the Haw Par Villas, the Jade House, and other charitable institutions like the Cheshire Homes, the Red Cross and mission hospitals.
The world must change and people must adjust and adapt; so it was with all of us. Policy changed, we moved along, we moved on; and people busied themselves without paying much attention to the changes over the years. Little bit by little bit the mosaic pattern of our lives transformed, and it went on and on.
Then, one day, about half a century later, someone, a very important person, made a speech. The topic came into the open and there was an awakening and a stocktaking. Visits to most of the places of interest and of educational values are not free, like the Zoological Gardens, the Science Center, the Chinese Gardens, the Japanese Gardens, the aquariums, the butterfly museum. Schools turned into premier institutions and school fees reflect their class. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten attendance became a necessity to enable the little ones not to lose the equality towards putting a foot into the schools of choice. Employment opportunities are based on meritocracy, so people do not want to lack behind or disadvantaged. Thus they slog and pay by all means.
Also, people who do not earn money also pay tax, particularly the GST, the goods and services tax. Any person living needs goods and services, thus everyone, whether he or she is economically active or not pays this tax. Even those people near the end term of their lives, those on life support, the bed-ridden, those on charity, those in the wombs, the babies, the demanding kids, our pets and anything that lives and are dependant on us pay tax.
In the past, only the bread winner paid tax; I earned I paid.
At present, the whole family pay tax; we live I pay.
The law makers and those in power are concerned about the increasing poor and the increasingly poorer situation.
Is not the GST the major cause of all this?
Have a nice day
Ronald
# posted by chunmu @ 5:07 PM 
