Means testing for PRs to buy resale HDB flats
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Means testing for PRs to buy resale HDB flats
OPINION
Last week, the Straits Times reported an Indian national and permanent resident in Singapore Mr Farook Ali Akbar who committed suicide together with his son.
Mr Farook came to Singapore to work as a database administrator in 2001 and became a PR two years later. His last drawn salary was $7,300 a month and he stayed in a flat in Bukit Batok. It is not revealed if the flat was bought or rented.
In another instance, an Indonesian PR forked out $653,000 for a four-room HDB flat in Queenstown when he can easily afford a private condominium. His monthly salary was not reported in the papers.
PRs are allowed to purchase resale HDB flats in the open market, but not new flats which are reserved solely for Singapore citizens.
According to a report by real estate agency ERA, about 40 per cent of the buyers in the resale market are PRs though this was disputed by National Development Mah Bow Tan who claimed that the figure is only 5 per cent without quoting any sources.
As PRs are usually mid-level professionals, they can well afford to pay above market rates for resale flats, thereby contributing directly to the escalation of prices.
Since the prices of new flats are pegged to the recent transaction of resale flats over the last three months in the vicinity, the sky-rocketing prices of resale flats will have a “trickle-down” effect on the prices of the new flats too.
With PRs flooding and “spoiling” the resale market, home owners have every reason to jack up their COVs to reap more profits from the sale of their flats.
Now, the question is: should PRs who earn well above $10,000 a month and can easily afford a private condominium or landed property be allowed to purchase a resale flat?
Means testing was introduced in Singapore hospitals not too long ago. Under the new system, patients are allocated classes of wards based on their household income.
For example, a rich patient with a monthly income of more than $8,000 will have to stay in a “B1″ ward and above instead of a “C” class ward reserved for the lower-income group.
According to the Ministry of Health, this helps to ensure that limited public resources are not abused and that the needy will get the help they deserve.
Similarly, HDB flats are considered public “resources” too whether they are new or resale flats.
By right, only citizens should be allowed to purchase public housing as in Malaysia and other countries.
Non-citizens will either have to buy a private apartment or rent a flat. They should not be allowed to compete directly with citizens for public housing.
The rising prices of HDB flats is one key reason why young Singaporeans are postponing marriage and starting a family thereby worsening the declining birth rates.
With a bulk of their salaries being tied up in the housing loans, many will have to contemplate twice to have children of their own.
Making HDB flats more affordable to young couples will encourage them to have more children.
The prices of HDB flats are unlikely to come down by much so long as PRs are permitted to buy and sell them freely without any restrictions.
Means testing should be imposed on PRs buying resale flats and those with a salary above a certain cap are disqualified from doing so.
Singaporeans buying new flats are subjected to similar conditions: a couple with a combined income of more than $5,000 has to buy a four-room or larger flat.
Three-room and smaller flats are only reserved for families from the low income-group.
With due respect to PRs, while they do contribute to the Singapore economy, their futures do not lie in Singapore.
When they finally pack up their bags and return to where they come from, they will stand to make a profit from selling their HDB flats, leading to capital outflow from Singapore.
In the meantime, Singapore citizens who genuinely need a place to stay are unable to get a flat of their choice due to the high prices.
Mr Mah stressed that PRs are allowed to buy resale flats because they also need a place to live:
“PR families are not eligible for housing subsidies that Singaporeans enjoy. They are not allowed to buy a new flat from HDB or enjoy any housing grant. However, PRs need to have a home in Singapore. Therefore, they are allowed to buy properties from the open market, including HDB resale flats.’
PRs can always buy a private property or rent a place to stay. If PRs need a place to live, what about Singaporeans, especially the first-time home buyers?
Between a PR who will leave Singapore in the near future and a citizen who will start a family in Singapore, who will have more stake in the country?
It is myopic of the government to give numerous benefits to PRs in the hope that it will entice them to settle down in Singapore for good.
Many simply take advantage of what the government gives them without additional incentives to take up Singapore citizenship.
As such, a more stringent criteria should be imposed to distinguish PRs who are here merely for economic reasons and those who are keen to become naturalized Singaporeans themselves.
Only those who are willing to hedge their futures on Singapore are allowed to purchase resale flats. One way of assessment is the length of stay in Singapore.
PRs who have been here only for one or two years should be barred from the resale market altogether.
Only those who brought their families here and have stayed for more than 5 years can buy HDB flats and even then, they must be subjected to means testing.
HDB flats have come to be regarded as symbols of Singapore citizenship. A clearer distinction must be made between PRs and citizens.
It is already very generous for us to allow PRs to buy resale flats. They should not add to the housing problem by depriving Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, a chance to own a home of their own.
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otherwise, all these buggers thought that our gahmen must take care of them.
their salary range S$3500.00 - S$5000.00, otherwise these jokers become taxpayers liabilties.
Pui!
in term of war ,whose the one whom defend Singapore!
all those buggers just interested in our goodies and treat as a jumping board for them! -
I think the late Mr Farook got some family problem, as you should know that his son got a kind of illness, it is not a matter about money that he took his son and his own life. I think we had to pay some respect to the decease.
On the other hands, PR meaning permanent resident, they also geninuely need a house to live, and so we have priortise it, however as free capitalist economy, we should let them have a free flow, let the market decide the situation, nothing is gain until sold.
In term of war, if there a war, Singaporeans will be first to be depot, follow by PRs and then NTS workers. And talking about defending singapore, we are yet to be tested. Basically the army is a singapore army, rifles and weapons in our hand, what can the PRs do??
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In terms of war
I think i will go hide in my ark first
......
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Originally posted by noahnoah:
In terms of war
I think i will go hide in my ark first
......
lan lan 1 go to war2 jump sea
3 be superman
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New immigrants may need to sit for citizenship tests in future
By Zul Othman, TODAY
Posted: 24 November 2009 0651 hrs
SINGAPORE: Integration through volunteering opportunities is emerging as a key response to challenges posed by Singapore's immigration policies.
About 4,500 new immigrants are now grassroots leaders and Integration and Naturalisation Champions, the latter a People's Association programme to welcome newcomers to neighbourhoods.
And the National Integration Council (NIC), formed in April, is exploring ways to enable students from national and Foreign System Schools to take part in joint community involvement projects.
NIC is also working on increasing the awareness among new immigrants about volunteering opportunities and volunteer matching services on a national and neighbourhood scale, said Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday.
But how many of them subscribe to Singapore's core values, asked Member of Parliament (MP) Halimah Yacob. Could those who apply for citizenship sit for such a test, as is the practice in many countries?
In reply, Dr Balakrishnan said it was an "interesting" and "quite sensible" suggestion which would be studied.
As for permanent residents (PRs), an average of 74,500 foreigners applied for PR annually between 2000 and 2008, and about 46,300 were successful each year, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng said in reply to a question by MP Chiam See Tong.
An average of 2,200 PRs renounced their status over the same period.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...020144/1/.htmlæ–°åŠ å�¡è€ƒè™‘让新移民考试
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I dont remember any country in the world that allows foreigners to buy 'government housing'. Not in Malaysia and certainly not in China.
Is 're-sales' flat =government housing??. In narrow defination 'YES'. The fact that HDB was setup is to provide affortable housing to Singaporean. It objective should remain the same but going by the rate that prices in this sector is increasing, I doubt so. Why HDB prices are increasing? simple demand and supply. If we have a decreasing 'Singaporean Citizen' population, the demand should be lower than supply= lower HDB price. Unfortunately, we need to take care of the PR that want to be Singaporean. Who are these PR??why they should be given housing subsidy or due to integration be allowed to enter the 'resales market'?? There are two reasons but one of it commercial. We Singaporean want to migrate to 'private' housing..ah..this is axactly we asked for. The fact the we want to upgrade ourself to 'private housing' we need to sell our 'HDB' at prices that make the upgrate more affortable. In so doing, we goining into another 'catagory' of housing wishing we can benefit from selling our government housing at higher price. So, we want PR or foreiger to pay for our 'upgrade'.. Here the story go on and on and on. The problem is that we Singaporean is becomng a confusing lot. What do we want? Foriegner to pay for the upgrade or stay in the HDB?
Singaporean is such a small country that CAANOT affort foreigner to buy our property. Inmagine only 1% of the population in China+India+Indonesia stary buying property in Singapore (that is happening NOW!!!!!!!!!!) ! How many of us..ture Singaporan can now affort a 90m2 leasehold 99 yrs that price at 1m SGD that is selling in Katong? for sure, I cant.
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Originally posted by Greytan49:
lan lan 1 go to war2 jump sea
3 be superman
jump sea superman meh??? I thot superman jumps MRT?? -
Originally posted by angel7030:
jump sea superman meh??? I thot superman jumps MRT??Go and die!
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Originally posted by Chew Bakar:
Go and die!
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Go and die! Crash in your car!
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Go and die!
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Go and die!
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Originally posted by angel7030:
Go and die!
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Thread closed. Carry on here