Here goes the GST hike as of 1st July 2007, Singaporeans now play 7% GST for things they purchase rising from the previous 5%. The great part about this is the the government is very nice to give us a “package” to cushion the “blow”. Well there is the best part about this, in order to prevent oneself from paying more then what the offset package provides you can only spend SGD$10,000 so that the SGD$200 covers your hike of 2%. Well that being said, it is good as at least I can save more and spend less. Those who are poorer and do not even get SGD$10,000 a year would definately benefit from this program and it becomes an ideal situation as the poorer would benefit from this. Yay for being poor ya?
NOT…
Why do I say this? reason being the GST only went up by 2% but vendors have already started to take advantage of this hike and make ridiculous and blatant increases in their prices. I’ll cite an example, I went to Maxwell market to have a Po Lo Bao, so prices were usually SGD$1 for the bun which I felt was just okay, I mean it’s just a bun and some char siew inside it. So I paid up and was stopped by the kind auntie who said, sorry mister the price has risen to SGD$1.40. I was taken a back and being the nice guy I paid up and then started to do some maths.
The bloody bun went up 40%! 40 freaking percent, I mean come on using the hike to create an opportunity to exploit the public. If I want to pay SGD$1.40 for a freaking bun from a hawker center I rather give it a miss and just have something else. It’s a bloody rip off if you tell me, please wake up your idea and think about it. I can get something of a even higher quality at breadtalk and still show off that I’m eating expensive bread. They should be fined for making such blatant increases!
Consumer protection is really poor in Singapore and retailers will continue to do as they please. I feel that one day I’ll be one of the poor ones in this country. Prices are just going to continue rising in this cut throat society. It will just suck and suck you dry, one day GST will go up again and it’s all right because they say so and retailers will continue to play games with the consumers. If nothing is done about “controlling” the retailers the consumers will just suffer, this is one of the perhaps many other cases I have yet to encounter.
