7/06/2016

Singapore is getting to become a very exciting fine city




Parking fees going up in December or HDB will lose $100m yearly despite a report that the two agencies, URA and HDB ‘earning a total of $667 million from their carparks in their latest financials for 2014/15. This piece of information is in the mypaper on 5 Jul.


Now why the fear mongering that HDB is going to lose $100m yearly? Maybe the $667m were mostly made by URA and not HDB. Maybe HDB’s share of the $667 was negligible or miserable and easily wiped out by the increasing cost of managing and maintaining carparks.  Actually HDB’s share was $595m and URA’s was $62m, total added up $657m, $10m missing from the $667m.

The report also said HDB’s operating cost was $700m. Can it then be concluded that the total revenue for carpark operation was $700m + $595m or $1,295m? And HDB claimed that it would lose $100m if the fees or revenue did not go up. What does this mean? Operating cost will increase so much to wipe out the revenue of $1,295m and ended with a loss of $100m? So the total operating cost will be $1,395m, tiok boh? I not accountant or finance expert, can only make simple deduction.


HDB operates 2,000 carparks and recently installed electronic pricing equipment and system that cost $150,000 each to save on manpower cost and to be more efficient in collecting more money. This works out to $300 m in initial capital expenditure. Then the savings from carpark attendance walking the car parks would be transferred to hiring more technicians and software engineers to maintain the $300m system. Not sure the savings from terminating all the carpark attendants would be enough to pay for the technicians and engineers. Very likely not that is why HDB is talking about losing $100m a year with the new equipment and system.


And who should pay for this capital expenditure and new hires, the carpark users? Did the carpark users have a say whether to invest in this costly equipment that would raise the cost of carpark management? No, the HDB decides what is good for them (or for the HDB?) and how much they should pay for the equipment. Great thinking and great philosophy!


And this is not enough. There is a forum writer, a Francis Cheng Choon Fei, who wrote to the Today paper that increasing carpark fees without increasing parking fines is not an efficient way to manage car population. I am not going to ask if he is a car owner with a deep pocket or someone that could not afford to own a car, so increasing fines does not affect his pocket, but I think many Singaporeans would agree with him. Singaporeans just love to pay fines and the bigger the fines the finer would be their lives.


I hope the govt would accept this ground up suggestion and raise all kinds of parking fines and car related fines to make this a finer city. We not only have to pay for the most expensive cars, but car related fines. Our parking fees are still not high enough compare to the price of car ownership. Let’s go for it, increase all the carpark fees and fines.


My eye balls are rolling because this kind of suggestions is music to the ears of the people that believe in nothing wrong with collecting more money.

PS. Happy Hari Raya Aidilfitri to our Muslim citizens. Or is it Happy Hari Raya Puasa? I saw that in Channel News Asia.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

SinkieLand is very exciting sin city indeed..if u r young u can make mistakes, then when u r old can u make mistakes? ..Probably HDB wan to "make the mistake" of collecting more money ..for who?..their masters lah of course...u have yesterday being report in the news or Emma tee train return to China 4 some kind of a fixing ( they r Chenna made trains)& was caught red handed by some foreign HK media..this is it..the kind of a buy low sell high kind of mentality by bziness & the G ..wa the current Thomnson emma tee line olso Chenna made..could it collapse 1 made?..well they already claim never Leh 'cos of their ownself check ownself mentally la..

Anonymous said...

/// Did the carpark users have a say whether to invest in this costly equipment that would raise the cost of carpark management? ///

When the carpark users (70% of which voted PAP) voted for PAP
- they also agreed to pay more money

What part of Pay And Pay don't you understand?

Anonymous said...

Singaporeans should stop complaining if they voted PAP.
- better we ownself check ownself

Whose fault is it for this series of price increases?
We already know what PAP stands for.
And still we voted for them.
So now price increase.
Blame who?

Go stand in front of the mirror and slap yourself.

Anonymous said...

Lhu Wen Kai
Very talented young man.
If the younger generation are all like him.
There is hope yet for Singaporeans.

https://www.facebook.com/wenkai31/videos/10209807081804428/

Anonymous said...

"This Is A Toilet" - US Rowing Team Will Use Sewage-Proof Suits At Rio Olympics

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-07-05/toilet-us-rowing-team-will-use-sewage-proof-suits-rio-olympics
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Singaporean born Olympic athletes.
Please protect yourself by buying insurance.
I hope you are treated equally compared with foreign born Olympic athletes.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:26am
Readers should have a fair assessment of the issue on train crack. U are having different motivation. No one in this world has suffered hurt due to train defects in china or japan.
This is the truth.

Kawashaki and china provide replacement or repair warranty should be praised for the safety guarantee, not to confuse those manufacturer that dont bother to recall back.

I am the one who support the recall and thumb up. It is very expensive to do recall. It means a loss deal. Yet they did it.

"Why are MRT trains being shipped back to its manufacturer?
Defects were found during a check of new trains manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CSR Sifang in late 2013. There were a few hairline cracks on the car-body. These are superficial cracks (like those that show up on the walls of a new house). They are not structural cracks and are not safety-critical.

Are these defects dangerous?
The defects are hairline cracks and are not safety-critical. They do not affect the train’s systems, performance or passengers’ safety."

Anonymous said...

I am the one who support the recall and thumb up. It is very expensive to do recall. It means a loss deal. Yet they did it.
July 06, 2016 10:49 am

Who the fuck are you?
We all know there are no Singaporean train experts.
Otherwise - why does our train system keep breaking down?

So who told you to parrot "defects are not dangerous?"
- the train manufacturers?

Anonymous said...

//Kawashaki and china provide replacement or repair warranty should be praised for the safety guarantee, not to confuse those manufacturer that dont bother to recall back.// r u sure? Could it be after some pressure by somebody? Is it fair to say other manufacturers don't bother to return ( eg. Toyota, Ford or Volkswagen) even though when there is problem?

Anonymous said...

Are hair line cracks an acceptable defect for trains?
I think we better double check with other train manufacturers.

Just like Singaporeans should double check by voting more Opposition MPs into parliament.

Anonymous said...


Yes! Singapore is getting to become an exciting fine city!

Yes! To many, Singapore is heaven! 新加坡是天堂!

Let me add on to the music!

What's wrong increasing carpark charges? Anything wrong in collecting more money?

What's wrong increasing the fines? Anything wrong in collecting more money?

Nothing wrong in collecting more money..........right?

Living in this very very crowded sardine-packed tiny city state is like that lah!

Here up, there up, everywhere up, everything also up up up!

Nothing if free here! Everything is up up up!

No choice.....pls kindly note that 70%.....happy, said YES/OK & thank you very much sirs/madam.

So.......now how? What should we do now? Nothing! Nothing!

So.......新加坡是天堂? 如果新加坡不是天堂 哪里是天堂?

Cheers.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

It is important to note that The State is not subject to the "natural conditions of norms" observed by the ordinary humans.

The State can murder: aka executions and wars. The State can rob/ steal/ extort: aka tax, eminent domain, fine. The State can kidnap: National Service, jury duty (not in Singapore, thankfully!), subpoena (compulsory attendance under threat of punishment) , The State can make laws to regulate your private, voluntary business and affairs...The State is the agent of legalised aggression and VIOLENCE.

If you run your own business, you will go bankrupt if you consistently make errors which impact your operations financially. If you are employed by private enterprise, you get SACKED if you made too many mistakes which cost the company money or reputation.

The State and The Government which runs The State is under no such obligation.

When the government loses money consistently, it stays in business. Although the government is fully responsible for their errors, they don't pay---WE pay. Typically, one gets sacked when they make egregious errors---even if they are totally incompetent and do this frequently. Chances are they get promoted, or transferred elsewhere if public ire is of a high degree.

The government is typically NOT A PRODUCER. All the "revenue" the government gets to run its operations is forcibly expropriated from THE PRODUCTIVE entities---enterprises and The People.. The govt owns GLCs. The GLCs produce, the government takes.

The government's solution to its loss-making operations is ALWAYS to make people pay more.

So suck it up, and carry on!

Anonymous said...

"Now why the fear mongering that HDB is going to lose $100m yearly?"
RB

Why not? You expect HDB to say majority voters will still vote for PAP despite increase in car park fees or what not fees?

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:01 am

"Who the fuck are you?"

Dont be a train passenger in singapore, who the fuck ask you to take train? Can fuck off from trains, take taxi or drive lah.

"So who told you to parrot "defects are not dangerous?"
"- the train manufacturers?"

The answer was provided by LTA.
Fuck off, dont take LTA train lah. Go to the north to take the train.

Anonymous said...

The answer was provided by LTA.
Fuck off, dont take LTA train lah. Go to the north to take the train.
July 06, 2016 12:03 pm

ROFL.
Answer provided by LTA ... our PAP Millionaire train "experts".
Right. I feel so much safer now.

Why should I fuck off.
Better I stick around and vote you and your Millionaire cronies out of office.
At least Lui Tuck Yew had the honour and sense of shame to quit.

Anonymous said...

If you want to tell Singaporeans to fuck off.
To emigrate North if we are not happy.
You have a right to do that if your salary is not paid by Singaporean taxpayers.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Re: Trains

Unfortunately Singaporeans have painted themselves into a corner. As suggested many times before, Singapore trains should be run by "seasoned operators" like HK Metro, any of the Japanese rail consortiums or China Railway Corporation. These fuckers are doing a stellar job in their own cuntries, running complex multi-line networks with the latest gear and well-maintained older gear (Japan). Do you think they are capable of running a piddling small MRT system in a piddling little dot of an island---not even as large as their average cities?

C'mon lah. Sell SMRT to the foreigners. They'll do a mucher betterer job than our bestest most overpaidest government.

But unfortunately, Singaporeans don't like "filthy foreigners" who are better than them doing jobs in Singapore, even when Singapore and Singaporeans are the PRIMARY BENEFICIARIES of "foreign talent".

Hey goondoo, wake the fuck up lah. Change your backward thinking, and you'll be surprised how quickly your problems will disappear.

Engage foreign talent. REAL talent.

Now fuck off and get angry ;-)

AhKong65 said...

One Anonymous f...king another Anonymous . Don't know who is f.. king who . Put some ID in your post lah so that people can at least follow who you are . No guts...don't post and go hide inside a hole .

Like Matilah Singapura and some others who at least use a symbolic names to represent themselves in their posts .
So many Anonymous f...king each other,
" Shair Sway "


AhKong65 said...

Hi ! Mr Chua . I only posted one time how come I see two of my similar post . R B can you help me to delete one .

Thanks & Happy Hari Raya Puasa to my Malay brothers .

patriot said...


Sinkie Competitors at the Rio Olympic are told that they shall be provided as though they are
at home. Meaning to say that they shall be provided the Maximun Comfort, Safety and Wellbeing.
Our Olympic Team is made up
of the Best in Sinland, cant afford
to lose any of them to any lapses
or mishaps.

Hope our Sports Talents will bring glory to Sin.

patriot

patriot said...


Sinkie Competitors at the Rio Olympic are told that they shall be provided as though they are
at home. Meaning to say that they shall be provided the Maximun Comfort, Safety and Wellbeing.
Our Olympic Team is made up
of the Best in Sinland, cant afford
to lose any of them to any lapses
or mishaps.

Hope our Sports Talents will bring glory to Sin.

patriot

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ AhKong65:

Relac lah. It's just too hard trying to keep up with which anon is which.

One damn good thing though, as long as there's no nick, you can make death threats against these anons with no legal consequences.

Afterall, there's no specific identity, so go for it I say, if it makes you "feel good". ;-)

Anonymous said...

Haha, this move on car Parks fee will hit majority of hdb folks who with 70% voted for the current government so don't complain lar. It's only $240 to $360 per year plus outside parking may be cost you $500 per year additionally.. But most of these motherfuckers already got generous rebates of all sorts. Seriously you don't expect just receive and not pay back right?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ 348:

Please lah, even if you double or triple it, HDB parking---by world standards of "big city parking"---it still CHEAP.

Complain what?

Anonymous said...

You can joke according to your standards.

And then you also want to complain people's complaint?

Anonymous said...

At $110 per month, that is $1210 per year man. Some will say make it higher, $200 per month to keep up with world standard. Never mind if other world standard, a car cost only 20% of a car here. We just want to keep up with world standard.

Anonymous said...

SMRT's model C151A trains from China.
What does the "C" stand for?
... Cheaperer ??

Anonymous said...

Whistle-blower alleges CSR Sifang submitted fake test data to LTA
----------------------
http://theindependent.sg/whistle-blower-alleges-csr-sifang-submitted-fake-test-data-to-lta/

http://blog.sina.cn/dpool/blog/s/blog_14307caa50102vdd9.html

https://likedatosocanmeh.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/20160706-defective-china-made-trains-kept-a-secret-by-government/

Anonymous said...

Joke
-----
(A badly made train) + (A poorly trained engineering department) + (no prior experience management team) = 1st World Train System

Using "Garbage as input" can still create a 1st world train system as output meh?
- Is it like selling a 1st class sausage by using discarded horse meat as raw material?

Pay peanuts and you get a corrupt monkey.
Pay peanuts and you think you can buy a first class train carriage meh?

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 947

C could also mean Cheat or copy.

Sorry i am naughty.

I cant help but have this picture in the head. Lifting a heavy stone from afar and thought that is gold but then the heavy stone slipped and felt and hit my foot and i later know it is not gold. In the end i did not get any gold and still have to go hospital and get foot cast? Also still have to tell all people no no it is not painful at all but it is those type like cry without tears.

jjgg said...

Growing the economy..the Singapore way...if hdb is going to be losing money..is it not better to do away with the parking systems or even charging car park fees...actually hdb is BS incorrectly...businesses use to keep 2 sets of books...one for taxman n the other for themselves...looks like hdb also keeps 2 sets of books...their published accounts which says they make hundreds of millions n their real accounts which say they lose hundreds of millions...hehe ..the mind boggles..are our nation's reserves also 2 sets of books? Maybe temasick has 3 sets of books? Defence ministry got books? How stupid are Singaporeans...really..

patriot said...


Singaporeans are

stupid

and worse

DAFT.

patriot


Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

jjgg, you just give me an idea to write another article on how to save money for HDB.