Activist Gilbert Goh took to Instagram recently to tell the story of an 80-year-old man who is still working as a cleaner despite his advanced age.
The uncle, who is originally from Malaysia and was in a cheerful mood during the visit, told Mr Goh and his team that he “prefers to work as a cleaner earning $900/ month than receive government welfare of $600/ month as it’s insufficient.”
The man, whose name was not given, spoke at length to both Mr Goh and one of his fellow volunteers who regularly go around Singapore to help the needy elderly with either food or other essentials.
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Mr Goh wrote in his post that he met the uncle, who is single and lives alone while going about on weekly charity meals distribution. The activist added that “many elderly” have “no choice but to work” in order to eke out “a simple living.”
Mr Goh believes that the aid the elderly receive may not be enough in light of current inflation levels, although it would be necessary to see data from concerned agencies that would prove this to be true.
However, the activist also weighed in on the impending GST hike, as Singapore’s Goods and Services Tax is set to increase by one percentage point by the beginning of next year and by another by the start of 2024, to a total of 9 per cent.
Mr Goh wrote that the GST hike “will further burden the poor even though there is a generous government relief of an average of $700 to be paid out next month.”
In Parliament on Nov 7, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that the government would be spending an additional $1.4 billion on Singaporean households to offset added costs due to the GST hike.
But Mr Goh, however, called the GST a “regressive tax system” that is certain to affect the poor, and believes that “hawkers and shops will hike prices up by ten cents or more – sometimes to the tune of 10 per cent or more compared to the original price.”
The activist also noted that in Singapore all goods are subject to an increase due to the GST hike, unlike in Australia, where “basic necessities like milk, rice and bread do not attract GST taxation.”
Mr Goh ended his post by writing, “We met many people who are struggling with livelihood and like this elderly uncle, they resort to eating bread or maggi noodles just to fill up the hungry stomach.
The unhealthy diet plus a lack of nutrition may have contributed to a diabetic uprising of our aging population with one in three eventually having the dreadful illness.
Do something good for Singapore – a charity movement to alleviate the hardships of displaced elderly Singaporeans.”
/TISG
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