[MannoFr]

There have been reports from previous years where PRs get better subsidies for medication etc from polyclinics. The entire civil service is horrendously manned and supervised. There has never been a policy that will be implemented by the entire civil service due to the poor work ethics of the bosses there. This will not detract from what MOM has set out to do but one will always be able to find loopholes and contradictory practices to the extent that where one may lose out on one end, there may be benefits at the other end.

The greatest disbenefit to PRs is that their male children will have to take NS responsibility. Although there are many ways around this obligation the thought alone has made many shun citizenship. We should also not forget that PRs and new citizens from India, China and Pinoyland will have US, Australia and Canada as their eventual destination - at least that is where the really talented ones want to go to. Only the middle to low level PMETs from these countries see Singapore as a final destination.

The PAPzis policies are fraught with deficiencies and are a one-way avenue to futility and destruction of the countries social and cultural fabric. Only short-term gains can be had but the short term ills are tremendous and the long term ills are even worse.

Back to the topic of lowering FT inflow, the general numbers will still be huge given that our public services' infrastructure has already hit its maximum. and beyond. Further, the number of PRs are too small for the PAPzis to use as a wealth-generating source. If I were the PAPzis I will rather go with the long used and successful method of taxing the middle and low income Singaporeans. They form a sizeable portion of the populace and even a small increment will help to reach their revenue goals. Do take note that taxes can be hidden in property taxes, rental income etc.

Even a policy to tax property taxes and income from property rental can be painted by the mainstream media as being against PRs - to soothe Singaporeans even though a larger number of Singaporeans will face similar burdens. The mainstream media can twist and turn anything negative into something positive or even spin something that doesn't exist into something real and threatening.