SurpRISE!

The Goods and Services Tax in Singapore will be increased to 7 percent, up from 5 percent presently.

This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on Monday.

Mr Lee said the hike is necessary to finance the enhanced social safety nets, which are needed to help the lower income group.

You'll pay more, but you'll be earning more. Higher wages will offset GST hike for better-off echoed Defence Minister Teo.

I smell a rat.

Are they saying the truth?

What happened to the surplus in our reserves? Bad investment moves perhaps? Say, like the Shin Corp deal that went sour and had a big hand in changing the whole government and way of life in Thailand?

Besides, what kind of logic is that just because we could be earning more that GST should also be increased? Isn't this what the income tax is for?

Singapore's government must be the only one in the world which thinks it is bigger than the people and hence not answerable to the people even though 66.6% of the people voted them in the last elections earlier this year.

This "Gahmen (government) say so, just do lor" attitude has got to go.

66.6% of the people must be feeling stupid right now.

I hope some, if not all of the 66.6% will finally realize the usual baiting tactics employed prior to every election for instance the handing out of free money (and sentionalizing it), the promise of estate upgrades (even though it's the people's money to begin with no matter if they come from opposition wards) because what comes after those are the surprises.

Simple folks cannot afford to be simple-minded anymore. Can't just leave everything to the government which apart from two seats is ruled by only one party. They would eventually get big-headed and truly believe every decision they make is the correct one with only two voices to question them.

How can we expect only these two voices to represent us in questioning some of the government's calls that we oppose?