Budget 2013

[Dora1]

I agree that NTUC should not take over the mgmt of new hawkers. Just look at NTUC Fairprice, they are supposed to keep supermarket prices low- I think they are now easily the 2nd most ex after cold storage. :moneyflies:

The best is to revert to the old scheme. I remember in the 80s, hawker stalls are given to less educated or disadvantaged at a highly subsidized rental price. I remember my uncle was uneducated and doing manual odd job. After and accident, he can't continue the manual job, but still ok to walk. so he applied to the welfare dept then and got a fruit juice stall at a hawker centre with my aunt, who was also uneducated. They managed to bring up 3 kids.
I was just a kid so I can't remember the details, but I think its stg to consider. At least then the lower educated can bring in a decent income, and we get cheaper food. Win win situation

[HVR]

Talking about speeches, Mr Sitoh of Potong Pasir made one excellence speech yesterday in parliament about trust and expectation. Everyone should put their political alliance aside and go read it. Reflect what he said and think he make sense or not. Very sorry I am quite illiterate in computer, don’t know how to attach link.

[pirate]

So the stall right at the main entrance will cost $320 a month to rent. The stall all the way inside at a corner nobody goes to will also cost $320 a month to rent. What's going to happen is that everybody will only apply for the stalls at the best locations (preferably at Maxwell Road market!) and nobody will apply for those at not so good locations. Then those who do not luck out and strike the equivalent of the hawker centre Toto will complain that they cannot get a stall. :stupid:


NEA stalls now longer have reserves. Somebody managed to snag a cooked food stall for some ridiculous rent like $20 a month in the Nov 2012 tender. Somebody else swiped 2 chilled poutry market stalls at $5 per month each in the Dec 2012 tender. How about aspiring stallholders actually do some homework before bidding? :shock:

[concern2]

HVR:

Talking about speeches, Mr Sitoh of Potong Pasir made one excellence speech yesterday in parliament about trust and expectation. Everyone should put their political alliance aside and go read it. Reflect what he said and think he make sense or not. Very sorry I am quite illiterate in computer, don't know how to attach link.

Actually hor, not say don't want to read leh, liddat not fair to readers. Couldn't find full speeches (in words) on PAP website nor parliament website. WP website happens to be very up-to-date on all the speeches. Any suggestions?

Attach link? Can just go to URL address, right click to copy URL, then paste it in your post here.

[concern2]

pirate:

So the stall right at the main entrance will cost $320 a month to rent. The stall all the way inside at a corner nobody goes to will also cost $320 a month to rent. What's going to happen is that everybody will only apply for the stalls at the best locations (preferably at Maxwell Road market!) and nobody will apply for those at not so good locations. Then those who do not luck out and strike the equivalent of the hawker centre Toto will complain that they cannot get a stall. :stupid:


NEA stalls now longer have reserves. Somebody managed to snag a cooked food stall for some ridiculous rent like $20 a month in the Nov 2012 tender. Somebody else swiped 2 chilled poutry market stalls at $5 per month each in the Dec 2012 tender. How about aspiring stallholders actually do some homework before bidding? :shock:

Hm.....I won't be surprised if these stalls are \"inside a corner nobody goes to\"

Surely there will be v. popular ones, and the less popular ones. How about this:

Say, there are 100 stalls available from a new hawker centre, and there are 200 applicants.

Phase 1: These 200 applicants will go through a ballot to see if they will get it or they won't.
Phase 2: The 100 successful applicants will ballot for the available 100 stalls.
Phase 3: If any of the applicants get a stall which he/she does not desire and decides to withdraw, deposit will be forfeited and the unsuccessful applicants in Phase 1 will be contacted to see if they are interested to ballot for that stall.

If, in any case, there are any stalls which have no takers after X period, it is then opened for tender. Fair? :evil:

[concern2]

pirate:

So the stall right at the main entrance will cost $320 a month to rent. The stall all the way inside at a corner nobody goes to will also cost $320 a month to rent. What's going to happen is that everybody will only apply for the stalls at the best locations (preferably at Maxwell Road market!) and nobody will apply for those at not so good locations. Then those who do not luck out and strike the equivalent of the hawker centre Toto will complain that they cannot get a stall. :stupid:

You see har, pirate, if it costs only $320 per month, it will be easier to survive as you don't need that high a turnover to cover the rent even if it isn't a high traffic location, compared to one that costs $3,200.

Question is: Is NEA for profit-making, or is it opened to enable THE PEOPLE to make profits?

[hquek]

Regarding the hawker stalls, I think it’s very impt that the ones bidding are the ones actually managing the stalls. No point renting out at $320 or whatever tender price if that same person is turning around and subletting it to another person for 10x the amount he is paying.


Recent rules have disallowed the subsale, but I can’t recall if sublet is still allowed.

[concern2]

hquek:

Regarding the hawker stalls, I think it's very impt that the ones bidding are the ones actually managing the stalls. No point renting out at $320 or whatever tender price if that same person is turning around and subletting it to another person for 10x the amount he is paying.


Recent rules have disallowed the subsale, but I can't recall if sublet is still allowed.

Agree.

[Coolkidsrock2]

concern2:

HVR:

Talking about speeches, Mr Sitoh of Potong Pasir made one excellence speech yesterday in parliament about trust and expectation. Everyone should put their political alliance aside and go read it. Reflect what he said and think he make sense or not. Very sorry I am quite illiterate in computer, don't know how to attach link.

Actually hor, not say don't want to read leh, liddat not fair to readers. Couldn't find full speeches (in words) on PAP website nor parliament website. WP website happens to be very up-to-date on all the speeches. Any suggestions?

Attach link? Can just go to URL address, right click to copy URL, then paste it in your post here.

It is available in the physical copy of today's Straits Times.

I also agree that it is a relevant speech.

[pirate]

concern2:

You see har, pirate, if it costs only $320 per month, it will be easier to survive as you don't need that high a turnover to cover the rent even if it isn't a high traffic location, compared to one that costs $3,200.


Question is: Is NEA for profit-making, or is it opened to enable THE PEOPLE to make profits?

NEA has already scrapped minimum bids. Non high-traffic location can be had for as little as $20 a month.

Why cannot both NEA and the people make profits? NEA surpluses go into gov coffers which then pays for gov expenditures including assistance to the needy.

The issue is should NEA aim to keep prices so low to make sure that the lowest income person can afford hawker centre food (even that is not certain because there is no guarantee that the stallholders will sell cheap), even if it means that it subsidizes EVERYBODY ELSE regardless of their income levels? Or is it better to just give assistance directly to those who are really at the low income level?

In my opinion, if somebody cannot be bothered even to walk a few steps more to the corner nobody goes to for cheaper food, then he/she does not require assistance. In my opinion, cooked food is not a 'need' for the vast majority of people. With the exception of those who are physically incapable of cooking, they are just too lazy to cook their own meals. Homecooked meals using the same ingredients are almost always cheaper.

There has been a lot of calls for the gov to subsidize this, that and the other without any regard to whether the subsidy is being given to those who neither need nor deserve the public assistance.

I am against this whole idea of giving subsidies to the extent of distorting the market, then resorting to balloting with the result of giving some lucky blokes windfalls from public funds. We already have a balloting scheme for giving people windfalls. Actually we have three. They are called 4-D, Big Sweep and Toto.