Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Watered Down Answers

Opposition MP Mr Low Thia Khiang had simply asked Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan for a breakdown of the cost of water produced by the PUB, and tariffs charged to households.

Instead of a straight forward answer, Balakrishnan blistered and blustered,"...it's not a simple matter of how much it costs to buy water from Malaysia or to even get water from a desalination plant. You have to pay for the cost of entire system. It's all very transparent, it's laid before Parliament."

What he laid before Parliament was that total revenue collected was about $1.2 billion in FY2010, compared to $1.34 billion in total expenditures. PUB collected $674 million in water tariffs and $327 million in waterborne and sanitary appliance fees. "That's nowhere near $1.3 billion", according to the accounting challenged minister. What he omitted to highlight was the Water Conservation Tax of 30% (of $674 billion), and the GST applied on top of the grand total (that's tax upon tax, i.e. double charging). Close enough.

Given his dismal credibility of the YOG record, what we really need is a full disclosure of the expenditures. Recall the free condoms distributed on site to horny athletes and the expenses lavished on Canadian volunteer Milan Fischer, 68, whose leg cram ended up a with 4-hour open-heart operation for an aortic dissection, inclusive of hospital and recovery stay charges. Monies expended for a Youth Olympics.

Each year, the government has to provide a grant to water agency PUB to support its investments. We just what to make sure the money is invested on Singaporeans.

15 comments:

  1. No one can get the true costs of anything from the ministries. These are guarded info even the President has problem getting.

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    Replies
    1. Where got problem?

      The president went from an Insider to a Hindsider then back to an Insider again. Machiam watching a Game of Thrones.

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  2. If Tharman can come up with a fuzzy math of
    spend $1 get $4 back, I am sure there must be some smart folks out there who can come up with
    spend $40 and get $10 subsidies (healthcare).

    Except unless, you happen to be a 68yrs canadian who gets free one-stop-shop medical care at the expense of many aged singaporeans who would have to by-pass a $8 heart surgery.

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  3. Real Tax Payer3/07/2012 11:53 AM

    //Water Conservation Tax of 30% (of $674 billion), and the GST applied on top of the grand total (that's tax upon tax, i.e. double charging).//

    He has optical illusion - seeing double charges here, but his mental delusion dictates that he stays in denial mode.

    One by one, they are singing how health care, water, education, housing are all so affordable and well subsidized. Tell me again how did we get to the top3 of the hall of fame for Most Expensive City in the World?

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  4. Like musical chairs, they each come up to complement the use of more CCTVs in HDB.

    First is Police Force. Then PUB for the logangs and floods. Followed by NEA for the litter-bug killers. So the whole nation is busy arguing all other matters, they quietly spend more millions to install more cameras to intrude on low-life citizens. Just like we place cameras to spy watch our maids. Whatever happens to good old fashion educating pamphlets or heavy fines? Who are these people who have such bad manners from 3rd world country?

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  5. Subsidized water is just like subsidized HDB flats.

    A person can go broke getting all these subsidies.

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  6. "Each year, the government has to provide a grant to water agency PUB to support its investments. We just what to make sure the money is invested on Singaporeans."

    Did we know how much it costs to pay the committee of international water experts to evaluate our water-flooding-draining system in SG? It cost us 850k close to a million to evaluate the million-dollar ministerials' salaries, under the watch of a very capable man - GE.

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  7. And he hasn't tell us what is the BREAKDOWN of the expenditure.

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  8. "...it's not a simple matter of how much it costs to buy water from Malaysia .."

    Reminds me of the "..the relationship is not so simple.." for the CPF & Temasek link

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  9. The word transparent must be taken at the right spirit. It had been used time and time again by minister trying to explain tough questions on costs. At the end none of us is wiser. We still wonder where the money gone to. Singapore is complex, same as our taxi fares!

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  10. Mark Twain said:
    Figures don't lie
    Liars lie figures

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  11. Time to walk a talk as a nation.Put them behind if need be.NS boy and all who ready to serve please come forwards on action day to be advise....

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  12. So how much money did they collect? Tax, tariff, GST, fees, subsidies, whatever. How many $ did they get?

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  13. Water and money flows freely through VB's hands. Better watch out, sinkees.

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