Singaporeans feel that every time PM Lee aims to alleviate cost of living, he elevates it

Since yet another announcement of costs in Singapore going up – this time bus and train fares – has struck a chord with many Singaporeans. The announcement for a 4.3 per cent planned increase in bus and train fares came after a 30 per cent hike in water prices in July, and with electricity tariffs going up by a hefty 16.8 per cent in the first 7 months of 2018 alone. Many Singaporeans took to social media to express their worry at prices going up, despite promises from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Earlier this year, the second phase of the water price increase officially kicked in on July 1, 2018, making the price of water 30 per cent higher. Phase 1 of the increase took place one year ago, from July 1, 2017. This new hike could be a costly affair for households using more than 40m³ of water, or 40,000 litres.

Similarly, for electricity, Singaporeans were faced with a 6.9 per cent average increase in electricity tariffs – a price increase that went into effect the same time as water price hikes. Many Singaporeans also realized that the 6.9 per cent is the third such increase Government-linked SP Group has imposed in the first seven months of this year alone.

Taking to Facebook to express his unhappiness, netizen Bruce Wee shared an infographic with statistics on Singapore.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215974215961399&set=a.1725955501865&type=3

In the picture, he shared Singapore’s ranking when it came to the most expensive city in the world and how it ranked top consecutively from 2014.

Amidst the top rankings, he also shared cut-outs of newspaper headlines such as , ‘PM Lee: Govt focused on cost of living issues’, and GE 2015: Govt’s assurance on cost of living’.

He also captioned his post, “Every time when Loong says to ‘alleviate’ our high cost-of-living, he ‘elevates’.

Every.Single.Time. “

While the ranking of Singapore varies from list to list, and it may not be the most expensive country in the world for consecutive years, Wee’s sentiments resonated with many other Singaporeans.

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