Why pass holders & foreigners are treated the same

[malcontent]

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this brought up, but it’s something that makes no sense to me.

Whether it’s local schools or local housing, why would tax-paying, full-time resident pass holders be treated the same as nonresident foreigners who pay no taxes and don’t even need to work or study here?

I truly believe that no pass holder should be subject to 60% ABSD. They should at least enjoy a concessionary rate. For example, on a first home: citizen 0%, PR 5%, pass holder 10%. Or, you could reduce it from 30% to 20% to 10% at year 3. That is still double what a PR pays, but it’s not the AML rate.

Likewise for local schools, there is no distinction for tax paying residents and foreigners who come in and study here without any connection to Singapore. Citizens are free (or close to it), PRs pay reasonable (but not cheap) tuition fees. Foreigners, no matter what their connection to Singapore, pay tuition fees that are unaffordable to many, up to $2k per month per child. ASEAN passport holders get a break, but this is not extended to pass holders from non-ASEAN countries.

Keep in mind, some of these pass holders may be potential future PR/citizens, and Singapore is likely reducing the quality of the pool by treating all foreigners the same. Has anyone else thought about this, or is it just me?

[abbby]

I personally think the 60% ABSD to foreigners is too harsh...30% is a lot previously but I think it shouldn't have been increased to 60%. Foreigners are no longer buying here.

[jalanjalan]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

[malcontent]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

I agree, but the typical path is EP-PR-SC, and if you compromise the source (EP holders), you might lose some really good future citizens and be left with second best. That doesn’t sound like a strategy that would be (intentionally) adopted here… but ok.

[Lisafuller]

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this brought up, but it’s something that makes no sense to me.

Whether it’s local schools or local housing, why would tax-paying, full-time resident pass holders be treated the same as nonresident foreigners who pay no taxes and don’t even need to work or study here?

I truly believe that no pass holder should be subject to 60% ABSD. They should at least enjoy a concessionary rate. For example, on a first home: citizen 0%, PR 5%, pass holder 10%. Or, you could reduce it from 30% to 20% to 10% at year 3. That is still double what a PR pays, but it’s not the AML rate.

Likewise for local schools, there is no distinction for tax paying residents and foreigners who come in and study here without any connection to Singapore. Citizens are free (or close to it), PRs pay reasonable (but not cheap) tuition fees. Foreigners, no matter what their connection to Singapore, pay tuition fees that are unaffordable to many, up to $2k per month per child. ASEAN passport holders get a break, but this is not extended to pass holders from non-ASEAN countries.

Keep in mind, some of these pass holders may be potential future PR/citizens, and Singapore is likely reducing the quality of the pool by treating all foreigners the same. Has anyone else thought about this, or is it just me?

Agree with you about schooling. Pricing for foreigners can be prohibitively expensive.

[Lisafuller]

I personally think the 60% ABSD to foreigners is too harsh...30% is a lot previously but I think it shouldn't have been increased to 60%. Foreigners are no longer buying here.

60 is absurd, especially when considering the sky high prices of property. It's such a turn off.

[Lisafuller]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

It does seem to me that people aren't coming in as great a volume as they used to. Maybe I'm wrong but that's my perception.

[Lisafuller]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

I agree, but the typical path is EP-PR-SC, and if you compromise the source (EP holders), you might lose some really good future citizens and be left with second best. That doesn’t sound like a strategy that would be (intentionally) adopted here… but ok.

True. Their potential, however great, will remain untouched and unknown because they cannot or don't want to afford to live here long enough to contribute.

[jalanjalan]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

It does seem to me that people aren't coming in as great a volume as they used to. Maybe I'm wrong but that's my perception.

It's a balancing act for sure. Still, last year already surpassed pre-covid levels:
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/s ... el-2270376

[jalanjalan]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

I agree, but the typical path is EP-PR-SC, and if you compromise the source (EP holders), you might lose some really good future citizens and be left with second best. That doesn’t sound like a strategy that would be (intentionally) adopted here… but ok.

That's possible. Not sure how this can be remedied though. It's just expensive and competitive to live here, I donno how it could be made less so without undesireable consequences in other areas.

[Wd40]

Because they can? It would only change if people didn't want to come to SG anymore, but that's not an issue now and hasn't been for decades.

I agree, but the typical path is EP-PR-SC, and if you compromise the source (EP holders), you might lose some really good future citizens and be left with second best. That doesn’t sound like a strategy that would be (intentionally) adopted here… but ok.

The kind of people they want typically get their PR quite quickly like in 2 years. It is not like some other countries where it takes years to get PR. So either you get it quickly or you never get it.

So, this is not a factor really. I think honestly Singapore is a very unique kind of country like no other. Limited land and resources and the political system is such that taking care of the citizens is the top most priority.

Like some others said, regardless there are lots of people who are coming to Singapore. And maybe it is by design, they want this churn, they want young and hungry people to come here and work for 10-15 years and go back and they don't want to encourage majority of them to settledown.

Initially I used to feel like a loser, but now I understand that it is all a great blessing in disguise. 10-15 years is a perfect duration for expat term, to make enough money and then go back to home country and be ahead of rest of the folks.

It is kind of taking a shortcut and reach your destination faster. Just don't fall in love with Singapore, remain an expat and be connected with your home country so going back is easy.

[malcontent]

The kind of people they want typically get their PR quite quickly like in 2 years. It is not like some other countries where it takes years to get PR. So either you get it quickly or you never get it.

So, this is not a factor really. I think honestly Singapore is a very unique kind of country like no other. Limited land and resources and the political system is such that taking care of the citizens is the top most priority.

Like some others said, regardless there are lots of people who are coming to Singapore. And maybe it is by design, they want this churn, they want young and hungry people to come here and work for 10-15 years and go back and they don't want to encourage majority of them to settledown.

Initially I used to feel like a loser, but now I understand that it is all a great blessing in disguise. 10-15 years is a perfect duration for expat term, to make enough money and then go back to home country and be ahead of rest of the folks.

It is kind of taking a shortcut and reach your destination faster. Just don't fall in love with Singapore, remain an expat and be connected with your home country so going back is easy.

I am not sure it is ever easy to move to another country, even if it’s your former home, after living in Singapore for even a decade or more.

One thing is age, the older you get, the more set in your ways you become. It is also likely that after so much time has passed that your social network in your home country won’t be the same, and also, you’ve probably built up a social network in Singapore. Having lived here so long, you’ll know where to go for what, whether it’s medical or leisure, etc… and your favorite places are all mapped out. There is a level of convenience and comfort you’ve come to expect and take for granted. That said, I’m sure there are still some things you miss from back home that you’ll be happy to enjoy upon return, but if you’ve went back often enough, you might not have missed out all that much. Another thing is all the stuff you’ve accumulated, the longer you stay somewhere, the more you have to deal with.

I can tell you, for us it is a lot harder than what I had imagined. Dreaming about it and doing it are two very different things. However, I remind myself that disruption has a lot of positives. I truly believe that getting out of one’s comfort zone is what provides texture or spice in life. Getting out of the ordinary day-to-day can make life more memorable and meaningful, even if it’s more of a struggle, it’s worth it.

[Wd40]

I am not sure it is ever easy to move to another country, even if it’s your former home, after living in Singapore for even a decade or more.

One thing is age, the older you get, the more set in your ways you become. It is also likely that after so much time has passed that your social network in your home country won’t be the same, and also, you’ve probably built up a social network in Singapore. Having lived here so long, you’ll know where to go for what, whether it’s medical or leisure, etc… and your favorite places are all mapped out. There is a level of convenience and comfort you’ve come to expect and take for granted. That said, I’m sure there are still some things you miss from back home that you’ll be happy to enjoy upon return, but if you’ve went back often enough, you might not have missed out all that much. Another thing is all the stuff you’ve accumulated, the longer you stay somewhere, the more you have to deal with.

I can tell you, for us it is a lot harder than what I had imagined. Dreaming about it and doing it are two very different things. However, I remind myself that disruption has a lot of positives. I truly believe that getting out of one’s comfort zone is what provides texture or spice in life. Getting out of the ordinary day-to-day can make life more memorable and meaningful, even if it’s more of a struggle, it’s worth it.

I think the fact that your spouse is from Singapore, makes a huge difference. Through your spouse you have a strong connection with Singapore. Biggest deal is that you bought a house here and that gives you a sense of permanency. Also your kids went through the local system here? So through your kids have a lot of local connections? So you are not the typical expat. You have made pretty strong roots here.

People like me, made zero roots here also India is very nearby and we travelled to India every year and were keeping up with all the changes there. India has improved so massively in the last 2 decades, and every year we went we were surprised and we kept up with the changes.

I have SIM cards, banking accounts, all my investments domiciled, my driver license etc everything in India. And whenever we went to India we used all the services there like locals. No pretentiousness of being foreign return NRIs.

Whereas in Singapore we are constantly congnizant of our foreigner status.

Going back to India will be like freedom, I will burn my passport as I have my Indian Aadhaar card( the equivalent of Pink IC) and live and travel all over the huge length and breadth of India as a local.

I realized, having the best passport in the world allows you to travel easily. But to live in your own country you don't need any passport. When you burn your passport it means you are truely settled and don't have the fomo to go anywhere anymore.

[raptor_from_vietnam]

I think they make life hard for people on long term passes intentionally. Right now the local populace is already complaining so much about foreigners. Imagine the uproar if they were to make life easier for long term pass holders. The people they want already have a very clear and short path to PR and SC. I have a Malaysian colleague who came here for work, she did not even graduate from a top university over there, and came here for a non-managerial role just above entry level. She submitted her application 6 months after landing, and got it approved another 6 months later. 2 years after that she applied for SC and got it as well. You see, the hurdle is never there for the people they want.

[malcontent]

Malaysian Chinese are so similar, it can be a challenge to them apart (just don’t try to tell any Chinese Singaporeans that). In practice, they are quickly accepted as locals and rapidly assimilate. There are so many at my office these days, they probably outnumber born and bred Singaporeans. Malaysia & Singapore were both part of the Straits Settlements, so the “close historical and cultural ties” shoe certainly fits.

Whenever I ask locals what they know about the changes affecting foreigners, most of the voting public have absolutely no clue at all… so if the goal of the policies is to make Singaporeans feel like they are getting a fairer shake, it’s failing miserably.