Is it a good idea for the government to spend $1.1 billion over 10 years to provide financial support and new buses to the bus operators?
Some members of the public felt that this is using tax payers' monies to fund profit driver bus operators. But the government said that these transport operators are losing money on the bus operations, but they make profit on their train operations and other sources.
This is one more messy issue that confronts the government and the people at large. Who is right?
I like to answer this question by looking at the root of the problems. It is a bad idea for the transport operations to be run by commercial companies. There is a serious conflict of interest, such as shown above.
While the transport operators may claim that their bus operations are not profitable, it could be due to their accounting policies. Are they charging the operating costs fairly across all of their operations?
The other serious issue is the humongous salaries that are earned by their chief executives. Are the tax payer's monies being used to fund these salaries?
All these difficult questions come out of the operating model adopted by the Singapore government. It is a bad model. It is not transparent and not accountable. These serious issues are not properly discussed or agreed on. They are swept under the carpet.
Some members of the public felt that this is using tax payers' monies to fund profit driver bus operators. But the government said that these transport operators are losing money on the bus operations, but they make profit on their train operations and other sources.
This is one more messy issue that confronts the government and the people at large. Who is right?
I like to answer this question by looking at the root of the problems. It is a bad idea for the transport operations to be run by commercial companies. There is a serious conflict of interest, such as shown above.
While the transport operators may claim that their bus operations are not profitable, it could be due to their accounting policies. Are they charging the operating costs fairly across all of their operations?
The other serious issue is the humongous salaries that are earned by their chief executives. Are the tax payer's monies being used to fund these salaries?
All these difficult questions come out of the operating model adopted by the Singapore government. It is a bad model. It is not transparent and not accountable. These serious issues are not properly discussed or agreed on. They are swept under the carpet.
3 comments:
Dun mind our taxes are used for the public good, but dun like all these subsidies are to aid Temasek Holding to make profits.
Very unfair for taxpayers.
Totally agree with u. PUBLIC TRANSPORT is a. BASIC NEED which million $ ministers & CEO of SMRT & other govt linked companies who are paid humongous salaries do not want to understand . These billionaires don't know where to throw away their $ ..... Houses . Cars ... Top class restaurants . And the govt Complain that Singaporeans always complain ! The complains would never reach these levels if the salaries they paid themselves had not reached such ridiculous levels . Nobody grudge people in the private sector making huge profits - theirs is boom or bust, they take all the risk not tax payers $ . Politics is different. Don't go in if they think the $ is not enough. There are always people more than willing to serve the people for a lot less ..... But alas, Singapore politics .... Urghhs !!!!!!!
Anyway all the complains from Singaporeans fall on deaf eyes !
Totally agree with u. PUBLIC TRANSPORT is a. BASIC NEED which million $ ministers & CEO of SMRT & other govt linked companies who are paid humongous salaries do not want to understand . These billionaires don't know where to throw away their $ ..... Houses . Cars ... Top class restaurants . And the govt Complain that Singaporeans always complain ! The complains would never reach these levels if the salaries they paid themselves had not reached such ridiculous levels . Nobody grudge people in the private sector making huge profits - theirs is boom or bust, they take all the risk not tax payers $ . Politics is different. Don't go in if they think the $ is not enough. There are always people more than willing to serve the people for a lot less ..... But alas, Singapore politics .... Urghhs !!!!!!!
Anyway all the complains from Singaporeans fall on deaf eyes !
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