Up, up, and away!

GST, Employer CPF contribution (which frankly, I don't want), Prices
(Inflation), transportation, NETS charge, medical fees, and housing. Everything is going up, except the renumeration of most people, and bank savings interest rates.

Income tax? pshaw! I don't even earn enough to "benefit" from any cut
in this category. I was asked in a recent conversation: "Since you think
that Australia is better, why don't you move there?". My answer was:
"Unfortunately, it is mainly because if inertia. I have gathered a
substantial amount of inertia in Singapore, such that moving to another place is simply not worth the bother, YET.". This question arose after I had
stated that, despite the higher tax rates, I would still be able to
accumulate better savings and have better welfare in Australia if I had
worked there, keeping to my current level of expenditure. And that this
would be even more true for the Australians, who are the natives.

I have head this argument about how high the tax rates are in other
countries many, many times. High tax = bad! (for us who are paying) And I would not say that it is wrong. However, I have never heard the argument place together with the real wages in those respective countries, nor the various welfares that are in place. Having experienced Japan, I have several examples of my own. One is what I called the "Big Mac
Comparison". A McDonald's part time worker in Japan earns about 800 yen per hour. That is enough to buy a Big Mac meal, which costs about 650 yen.
The same worker in singapore would only earn about $3.50, which is not
enough to buy a Big Mac meal ($5.00+). Even if the worker in Japan had
been taxed 20%, just another 10 yen would have been enough for the meal.

It seems that there are real economist who used this similar vector.
Although as I understand it, theirs focus more on how the different
currencies fare against each other. I used mine as a model to compare
earning power to spending power.

My "savings" rate in Singapore is still pretty good though. I can only
hope that it does not get bad enough to make other places much more
attractive. Moving is such a hassle, but it does put a new spin to: "When
the going gets tough, the tough get going" (away, that is).

Translation: The way to overcome adversity is to try harder (elsewhere). Because currently, "trying harder" as an employee does not always equate to "getting better" in Singapore. A lot depend on your employers, and they hold all the cards, with the blessings from the powers that be.

My company has been pretty fair so far, and for that, I guess I should be thankful?