It’s really crazy to live in Singapore if you’re poor.
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Was shocked to chance upon this town council’s default bill of $1688 of which the penalty fee is $249 and legal charges a massive $721. The total penalty and legal fee is $970 – much more than the actual town council owed fee of $718 dating from Aug 2015 to Apr 2017. One can’t imagine the government allows a needy Singaporean family to be fleeced off by so much legal cost when their last GE’s slogan is “For you, with you…”?
The family stays in a 3-room flat and suffers from under-employment. To avoid jail sentences for owed town council bill, the family has been slowly paying them off whenever they have the money. They also have to show the receipts to the town council whenever they have made payment. We also know of some who have to go to jail because of accumulated town council default – after the jail sentence they still have to pay their bill! Its a shame to see so many of our poor vulnerable families living like this – struggling to pay bills of all kinds while living in the world’s costliest city (for expats only as claimed by the government).
The proposed sugar tax will simply add on to their living cost and deepen their misery. The recent 30% hike in water cost, existing 7% GST and a whole slew of increases for basic living usage imposed early this year will simply drive one to depression by just looking at the bills. Many in fact have avoided opening the bills every month and just throw them in some forgotten corner hoping that they will just evaporate into the thin air magically. Its no wonder many of us can’t avoid to go cashless the right way as we are already very cash-less before we hit the month end.
Source: Gilbert Goh
