COE prices soar because.....

[Mllcg]

I think this is also relevant, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Singaporeans on average, work longer hours than anyone else in the world. That means every minute saved by driving is worth a lot more to Singaporeans than most people in the world. Also, every delay due to public transport breakdown, is also more costly than anywhere else in the world.

 

not to mention time worked:salary ratio is one of the lowest

[Darthrevan]

I think this is also relevant, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Singaporeans on average, work longer hours than anyone else in the world. That means every minute saved by driving is worth a lot more to Singaporeans than most people in the world. Also, every delay due to public transport breakdown, is also more costly than anywhere else in the world.

 

this statistics only compared with 1st world nations..however SG is only a 'pseudo 1st world' at best..hence it is better to compare with the likes of 3rd world nations where it gives a more complete picture

[Tigerwoods]

I think this is also relevant, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Singaporeans on average, work longer hours than anyone else in the world. That means every minute saved by driving is worth a lot more to Singaporeans than most people in the world. Also, every delay due to public transport breakdown, is also more costly than anywhere else in the world.

Already we worked longer than the rest of the world and...

Someone say some more we must work Cheaper Better and Faster...

Something's got to give. We are not robots or machines.

How much more hours can we add to cheapen ourselves so that we are better and faster in delivering results ?

 

[Throttle2]

Let's see $150k !

Come on Yeah!

 

maybe finally people will understand when i say that $5k salary per month (household) is the poor of the near future (now)?

 

 

[Meanmachine]

-ve will kill off the entire B&B market coz the COE will be too high.

 

all u will see on the roads are either BMW, Merc, Audi, Lexus and VW.

 

 

Wrong assumption, there are more B&B cars than any others conti cars on the road , majority car owners owned B&B cars, the rich & shameless does not add to car population growth, it tis the minority who does . . .

 

Yes, they may owned 2 cars or more, but every figure tells a story, correct me if I'm wrong

[Meanmachine]

Despite what some say about driving being a want and not a need, one only need to look at our neighbours - from Malaysia to Indonesia to China and Taiwan, all these countries subsidise their petrol and would rather tolerate shortages than raise petrol prices.

 

In fact, at current petroleum prices, these countries are spending more subsidising petrol than subsidising food.

 

Also, some say the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt were about tyrannical rule. These people lived under tyrannical rule for decades. What changed? Some say internet was the cause, but it was really just an enabler. What really changed was the rise in prices in the months leading up to the revolution, fuel prices being one of them.

 

Simply put, rising costs of driving is rocket fuel for revolutions. Even Obama will have trouble getting re-elected if petrol prices keep going up in the US.

 

I think Singaporeans have every right to complain.

 

However, let's not get carried away by imaginary nightmare scenarios.

 

According to this CNA article:

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1112102/1/.html

 

"There are nearly 1.1 million foreigners employed in Singapore as at end-2010.

 

Out of the 871,000 work permit holders employed in Singapore, 248,000 are in the construction industry."

 

There's another 550,000+ PRs.

 

To say that 2 million more high net worth foreigners are coming in the next few years is pure fearmongering, unless you consider maids and construction workers, high net worth.

 

I send my children to a daycare full of foreigners. The people sending and picking their children in cars all look very local. The foreigners either cycle or walk. Most foreigners are even more shocked by local car prices than Singaporeans, because they can compare.

 

Singaporeans, via ignorance and conditioning, accept 2006-2010 car prices as cheap, even though that was already the highest on the surface of the Earth.

 

Foreigners definitely do buy cars, but their effect is over-exaggerated, and there is no need to imagine nightmare scenarios in the future because it is not going to happen... unless you happen to sell cars and want people to stop thinking and just buy buy buy now before the prices hit the roof.

 

U made a crucial point and I like your notion of agreeing tt Singaporean owned cars like they is no tomorrow, despite petrol prices are at sky high, we look around like lost sheep being chaperon into JB for subsidised fuel, what do you call these _ Queing for fuel meant for the poor, despite being rich & shameless .

 

[Kiadaw]

I think this is also relevant, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Singaporeans on average, work longer hours than anyone else in the world. That means every minute saved by driving is worth a lot more to Singaporeans than most people in the world. Also, every delay due to public transport breakdown, is also more costly than anywhere else in the world.

I think the chart compares only first world countries. I am certain people in, say China work almost as long, or more, but still....

 

Anyway,

 

There are 3 main reasons, which I think attribute to the long hours.

 

1) Poor efficiency in time & labor usage.

2 parts to this, one part is using many one-trick ponies low cost labor to be very specific task. A cashier will almost 100% be at the counter, even when period when few customers.

 

On other hand, we hired high skill professional & stuff him or her with many low level tasks, like some stupid documentations & reports, leaving him or her with very little time (hence must OT alot), to do high level professional work. I should know this

 

2) Over ultilise of manpower, employ one person, do 2 persons job. I should know also.

 

3) Asian mindset, longer hours work means more hardworking to bosses. I agree if a job required little thinking, like production, then more or less, more hours = more output, but even so, fatigue can set in & mistake can be make.

 

When a work required a lot of thinking, creativity, the efficiency drop tremendously after about 9 hours. More over, the fatigue will consume you again the next day, so over a period of say a week, your efficiency drop over the days of the week, drop over the hours per day, & if you have to work extensively over weeks, or month, your effciency drop faster than a skydiver. I know, I have been there.

 

On top of fatigue, poor moral also kicks in as well. If you have a good team, still not so bad, but if you had to shoulder alone, then its can be very bad.

 

From my personal experience, I have been an Engineer for almost 8 years, in same industry, product design for automotive, worked for an Japanese MNC, then a German MNC in Singapore, worked in England for half a year, literally a one man army siting in the customer office (but the people working there are nice to me), & now worked in Germany.

 

I can safely tell you that working a comfortable hours with efficiency time management & good organisation, I can get things done just as fast or faster than the long hours slogging in my time in Singapore.

 

Obviously there are "high key" period when you have no choice but to put hours, but unlike in Singapore, after the high key, the "low key" is to take a break at home, shaking leg, or vacation.

 

In Singapore, many of us have to show up at work at low key period, cause, we have bloody so little leave (at least me), & the extra hours we work (which is a lot is not compassionate in any way, but of course boss will say give you good grades for better bonus, maybe ). At most you can go back on time.

 

[13177]

Let's see $150k !

Come on Yeah!

 

maybe finally people will understand when i say that $5k salary per month (household) is the poor of the near future (now)?

I believe no matter how much the COE will become, or how high our living of standard has reached. The salary that most people earn would not reached $5K per month, whether it is per household or individually. Our employer here overall still very stingy in giving high salary.

[13177]

Let's see $150k !

Come on Yeah!

 

maybe finally people will understand when i say that $5k salary per month (household) is the poor of the near future (now)?

I believe no matter how much the COE will become, or how high our living of standard has reached. The salary that most people earn would not reached $5K per month, whether it is per household or individually. Our employer here overall still very stingy in giving high salary.

[Watwheels]

I believe no matter how much the COE will become, or how high our living of standard has reached. The salary that most people earn would not reached $5K per month, whether it is per household or individually. Our employer here overall still very stingy in giving high salary.

Stingy?

 

Look at the rent, transport(COE), fuel, utility bills, CPF or FW levies, staff renumeration, prices of raw material, etc etc. At the end of the day, I wonder if the employer himself can earn $5k/mth or not after paying for all these things. Not to mention these things only go up. Due to competition the profit margin cannot up so much.

 

You try starting a business here and pay ppl $5k /mth lor. LOL...

[13177]

Stingy?

 

Look at the rent, transport(COE), fuel, utility bills, CPF or FW levies, staff renumeration, prices of raw material, etc etc. At the end of the day, I wonder if the employer himself can earn $5k/mth or not after paying for all these things. Not to mention these things only go up. Due to competition the profit margin cannot up so much.

 

You try starting a business here and pay ppl $5k /mth lor. LOL...

So i guess in the view of employee, they need to survive with all the high living of standard, so pay also need to be high. But in the view of employer, they also need to pay off their company expenses, and thus also have their reasons that cannot pay high salary. So how le?

[Watwheels]

So i guess in the view of employee, they need to survive with all the high living of standard, so pay also need to be high. But in the view of employer, they also need to pay off their company expenses, and thus also have their reasons that cannot pay high salary. So how le?

How lor. <----

[Proton_neutron]

The rich buy food stalls (or even a whole industrial canteen) and rent them out for exorbitant prices.... That's how my neighbor is freaking rich..... Have landed but live in HDB....

 

 

[Scb11980]

the problem of supply and demand

 

demand is always there

but supply can be control - who control the supply - if reduce supply (price goes up) - fine adjustment by supplier to maximum revenue

 

COE what was suppose to be a means to control car population and traffic congestion - is it still relevant especially with ERP still working up to 10pm at night

ERP suppose to help congestion in city area preventing cars going into city unnecessarily BUT now ERP charges also if you leave the city

 

 

you got >100% tax when you buy the car, then the COE, then road tax, then ERP

so what is purpose of all these measures when traffic is getting worse and not better

 

there are hardly any "friendly alternatives" look at our public transport

MRT - even the new circle line keeps breaking down, wondered if there is warranty on these kind of trains

buses - lack real integration with the other mode of transport, does not service poor passenger routes, government need to use 1.1billion dollars to help a private company

taxi - so many types of surcharge - if our under 18year prostitute were to charge surcharges like our taxi, she will have her salary close to that of our ministers

 

 

so where does it leaves everybody especially those with disposable income .... private cars

 

the problem is a vicious cycle

 

 

[Proton_neutron]

Yah. So essentially, the rich get richer, while the poor gets poorer.

 

And whatever happened to the salary review of our policy makers again huh??? Seriously horh.....

[Nav14]

Quite true. I think there are basically 2 groups of people owning car in sg. Esp the bulk number of car owners on the road now should belong to the 'tom dick and harry group. Which is why many will complaint current COE is way too high, cause the high COE has deter this group of people of changing car, and buying another car when their current car reach 10 years.

 

I believe if people belong to the first group, these people would not bother much on the price of the COE, cause these people will still be able to change car or buy car, no matter how much the COE will be.

 

Unfortunately or fortunately the people in the "tom dick or harry" group, being the majority, will have a bigger say in the election results.

If this COE issue is not handled properly and results in upsetting the dreams of the "tom dick or harry " group, expect another min 5% - 10% decline in PAP's support at the next elections.

I hope the govt realises that the current trend of luxury cars forming bulk of the sales will, if it continues, wil result in majority of the cars on the road being luxury cars eventually. This will end up making the division between the upper and middle class larger and create more discontentment and resentment. There will even be more increased resentmet against expats, many of whom will have no problem affordng such expensive cars.

 

This issue has not started bothering the average car owner yet as most will just opt to continue to drive their present cars while hoping to change their cars once COEs come down. What if they do not come down? That is when the fun begins. I doubt COE prices will come down if the govt continues with its present policies. The expected surge in additional COEs around 2015/16 will easily be absorbed by all those waiting at the sidelines having postponed thier purchases. At the most 130k COEs will come down to around 100k at the most.

 

Goh Chok Tong's idea was the best which god knows why has been shelved -We will make it easy for one to own a car but expensive to drive on the road. The resentment would have been muh lesser, even if you have to take the MRT to work daily but as long as you have a car which can be driven on weekends, off peak, etc.

 

Well the opposition does need new issues every election. This is one potential issue I would pay close attention to if I was in the opposition.