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25-05-2011, 11:10 PM
(25-05-2011, 10:01 PM)Gosling Wrote: Let's use our common sense. Given all things being equal, would you hire a Singaporean or a foreigner? Which boss would prefer someone who will have to disappear year in year out for weeks for reservist service? Foreigners benefit from the very sacrifice Singaporeans made to provide for a safer place for them(and us) and yet at the same time, we suffer a disadvantage compared to the foreigners when competing for jobs. Is this fair? Should foreigners be made to pay higher taxes and employers pay higher foreign levy to compensate for Singaporeans' sacrifice in NS? Why should they free-ride on our sacrifices?
That is the problem when human beings want to organize themselves to fit inside a border. You got to defend that border.
There should be some kind of "defense tax" to be paid by foreigners on top of the regular tax. This should be comparable to the 2 years of sacrifice. The compensation is one way, i.e. you cannot choose to pay more tax to escape the NS.
(25-05-2011, 09:43 PM)tanjm Wrote: If cheap were all it was, then BMW would not be a succesful car company. Banks would totally relocate staff to India and keep only front office staff in their home countries. Indonesia maids would totally dominate over Philipina maids. I would be buying a Huawei network switch instead of a Cisco switch. I'd fly budget all the time and SIA would be bankrupt. I would watch local movies instead of big budget hollywood shows.
Excellent examples of differentiation.
(25-05-2011, 10:25 PM)Zelphon Wrote: How can our country prosper if we continue to allow the foreigners to exploit the system??
Immigration is a political problem everywhere. Singapore does not forbid her citizens to exploit the system of other countries.
I know of someone who left Singapore and got himself a job in China. He's now in the senior management of a listed company. Earns a nice salary and stays in a condo paid by his employer. He is in his early 30s and his highest qualification is "only" a polytechnic diploma. But he is diligent, smart, and makes himself relevant. I couldn't pay him enough to make him stay when he tendered his resignation many years ago.
My own experience is that if you are looking for someone to provide you with a safety net, look no further because that someone is yourself.