Dear Ms Sim Ann, your data comparisons with Sweden are misplaced. Here's why...

[Confuseous]

First, almost 18% of Swedish government expenditure comes from social contributions by the Swedish people. Strictly speaking, this component doesn’t represent government spending on people but people contributing to its own welfare. If we take that out, the Swedish government spends only 41.1% of GDP.

- http://trulysingapore.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/tackling-inequality​-charting-own-path/