[BicCherry]

Up to S$7250 of government $ misused for buying each vote in Singapore?


Assuming that a Singaporean, (illegally having dual citizenship and working in his new country of citizenship) but with parents/ relatives back home.

Suppose he enjots the maximum GST vouchers eligibility of $1450 p.a. by registering the address of a relative staying in small HDB flat with the government and earns zero income in Singapore.

https://dollarsandsense.sg/much-gst-vouchers-will-getting-2019/

This freeloading outlaw will certainly vote repeatedly for PAP (party that pays him $1450 annually) to remain in power, so that he can continue to enjoy his lifetime 'pension' of $1450 p.a. without even retiring. Illegally having dual citizenship due to non declaration of new citizenship status to ICA, he is able to literally enjoy the best of both countries.

He is certainly able to evade MOF checks on his main place of residency since he will probably continue to visit his family on Chinese New year annually and will have a Singapore address registered on Singapore government records and just checking into Singapore maybe 1x/year probably be excluded from lax MOF santa-claus criteria of 'living overseas permanently'.


"To identify those permanently residing overseas, we have used the place of residence registered with the Government. If we discover that an individual appears to be living overseas permanently but continues to have his registered place of residence in Singapore, we conduct further enquiries to reassess his eligibility for the GST Voucher." https://www.mof.gov.sg/Newsroom/Forum-Replies/Targeted-GST-Voucher-criteria-benefit-Singaporeans

Thus, it may be said that vote buying at the price of up to $7250 per election does occur in Singapore. ($1450 p.a. over 5 years between general elections).

Spoiler: show

Targeted GST Voucher criteria benefit Singaporeans

PUBLISHED: AUG 29, 2015, 5:00 AM SGT
Mr Stewart Christopher Bernard (‘Exclude home value from GST Voucher criteria’, 26th Aug) asked whether overseas Singaporeans are eligible for the GST Voucher and also suggested removing the Annual Value (AV) component as a criterion to determine eligibility for the scheme.

The GST Voucher scheme is aimed at benefitting less well-off Singaporeans who incur GST on their living expenses in Singapore. To identify those permanently residing overseas, we have used the place of residence registered with the Government. If we discover that an individual appears to be living overseas permanently but continues to have his registered place of residence in Singapore, we conduct further enquiries to reassess his eligibility for the GST Voucher.

The use of both income and the AV of one’s residence as criteria for a person’s eligibility for the GST Voucher is not perfect, and does not capture every individual’s situation accurately. But it provides us with a fair and practical basis to administer a large national scheme, reaching 1.6 million beneficiaries. Among Singaporeans with the same incomes, those who live in private homes are generally better off than those who live in HDB homes. Likewise, those with no income (such as retirees and housewives) living in higher-end homes are generally better off than the same group living in lower-value homes.

The current AV threshold of $21,000 covers 80% of homes in Singapore, including all HDB flats and some private properties. Nonetheless, we recognize that not all Singaporeans living in homes in the top 20% of the AV range are well-off, and some may experience instances of financial hardship. The best way to help them is not by changing the rules across-the-board. We can instead use more flexible forms of support such as ComCare, which allows for more detailed assessment of a person’s situation. Low income families may approach their nearest Social Service Office for an assessment of their needs.

We thank Mr Bernard for his feedback and will continue to review the criteria for the GST Voucher scheme regularly.

Lim Yuin Chien
Director
Corporate Communications
Ministry of Finance
https://www.mof.gov.sg/Newsroom/Forum-Replies/Targeted-GST-Voucher-criteria-benefit-Singaporeans

Criteria to be an overseas Singaporean elector is also very laxed: "has resided in Singapore for an aggregate of at least 30 days during the 3-year period before the cut-off date". https://www.eld.gov.sg/voters_overseas.html

Perhaps, GST credits ought to be given only if the citizen resides at least 180days in Singapore or reports his full income for Singapore income tax purposes or is a full time student abroad.