Budget 2013

[Mawar]

Oppsgal:

Don't seems to have much to do with me. SAHM without car, as no money for that... No business, not working. So nothing much is covered for me I think.


:sad:

Your school going kids will get some money in their Edusave.

[concern2]

I like the speech by PEH - he touched on something that I feel strongly about: Encouraging enterprising hawkers and keeping food prices affordable for the ordinary people.


Extracted from speech:
Cost of Living – Food
Next I wish to talk about one component of inflation which Singaporeans like a lot i.e. food. Many Singaporeans eat out at hawker centres. And most of them especially low wage workers will have an inkling of what inflation is like from that cup of coffee or plate of chicken rice they ordered at meal time.

When the Minister announced that 10 new hawker centres will be built and run on a not-for-profit basis in 2011, (10) I thought it would be a good idea to offer these stalls to enterprising or unemployed Singaporeans, young or old, to try their hands at running a small business selling affordable cooked food.

My hope was short-lived as it was later made known that NTUC Foodfare, a social cooperative, was appointed to run the first new hawker center in Bukit Panjang. (11) Nonetheless, I still hope the government will open the remaining 9 new hawker centres to enterprising Singaporeans to run as small businesses on their own.

While NTUC Foodfare is touted as a social cooperative, it is still a Members Only organization. To enjoy special prices and value meals, you need to be a union member. (12) If the co-operative is enjoying subsidized rental, then it must benefit all. I am sure inflation bites everyone and not just NTUC union members.
The cost pressures on cooked food prices are rental, staff costs, utilities and ingredient costs. As long as NEA keeps rental reasonable or subsidized, any enterprising Singaporean hawker will have a fair chance to keep cooked food prices affordable. First and second generation hawkers on subsidized rentals do sell cheaper food items when compared to commercialized food stalls.

I know of one such food stall along Jalan Bukit Merah that sells very delectable vegetarian food. The stall is owner operated and it has 3 local staff. The cheapest plate of vegetarian bee hoon there is only $1.50 complete with ingredients like cabbage, mocked char siew, crispy bean curd skins and condiments.

This stall has been selling vegetarian bee hoon at cheap prices for the longest time. It is neither a no-frill meal nor a marketing gimmick. And you do not need to be a NTUC union member, Public Assistance card holder, or senior citizen to enjoy cheap and healthy food.

This is what we need in our hawker centres to fight inflation. Fix the rental of these new stalls at $320 a month, which is the high end of the subsidized rental, and allow Singaporeans to ballot for them. This will create jobs, keep hawker food affordable, and ensure Singaporeans, young or old, remain economically active.

(source: http://wp.sg/2013/03/budget-2013-speech-mp-png-eng-huat/)

[pirate]

[quote]Extracted from PEH's speech:

Cost of Living – Food
...

This is what we need in our hawker centres to fight inflation. Fix the rental of these new stalls at $320 a month, which is the high end of the subsidized rental, and allow Singaporeans to ballot for them. This will create jobs, keep hawker food affordable, and ensure Singaporeans, young or old, remain economically active.

(source: http://wp.sg/2013/03/budget-2013-speech-mp-png-eng-huat/)[/quote]Everything also ballot. Singaporeans really like 4D and Toto. :rant:

I have a better suggestion. :idea: Gov instead of the wage credit scheme, put the $1.2b ($3.6b over 3 years) into one big pot and conduct a ballot. Every citizen above 21 gets one free ticket. We can call it the National U-save Toto Scheme.

Top prize $50m.
3 2nd prizes $10m each
10 3rd prizes $5m each
50 4th prizes $2m each
200 5th prizes $1m each
500 6th prizes $500,000 each
2,000 7th prizes $100,000 each
20,000 starter prices $10,000 each
100,000 Consolation prizes $1,000 each

Needy but never strike? Never mind, ballot again next year. :evil:
Still got extra $20m left over some more.

Maybe we should throw the $1.7b earmarked for direct assistance for cost of living into the pot too? :siao:

[concern2]

pirate:

[quote]Extracted from PEH's speech:

Cost of Living – Food
...

This is what we need in our hawker centres to fight inflation. Fix the rental of these new stalls at $320 a month, which is the high end of the subsidized rental, and allow Singaporeans to ballot for them. This will create jobs, keep hawker food affordable, and ensure Singaporeans, young or old, remain economically active.

(source: http://wp.sg/2013/03/budget-2013-speech-mp-png-eng-huat/)

Everything also ballot. Singaporeans really like 4D and Toto. :rant:

I have a better suggestion. :idea: Gov instead of the wage credit scheme, put the $1.2b ($3.6b over 3 years) into one big pot and conduct a ballot. Every citizen above 21 gets one free ticket. We can call it the National U-save Toto Scheme.

Top prize $50m.
3 2nd prizes $10m each
10 3rd prizes $5m each
50 4th prizes $2m each
200 5th prizes $1m each
500 6th prizes $500,000 each
2,000 7th prizes $100,000 each
20,000 starter prices $10,000 each
100,000 Consolation prizes $1,000 each

Needy but never strike? Never mind, ballot again next year. :evil:
Still got extra $20m left over some more.

Maybe we should throw the $1.7b earmarked for direct assistance for cost of living into the pot too? :siao:[/quote]I suppose balloting for foodstall is the simplest and straight-forward, and will not result in further inflation of the rentals compared to other forms of bidding like tenders. Perhaps can borrow from MOE when their ballot boxes are not in use during other times of the year :evil: - productive use of resources..

[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?