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[TD="align: center"]24-10-2013 02:45 PM[/TD]
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[TD="class: trow1, align: center"]sgbuffett <!-- start: postbit_offline -->
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[TD] Quite surprise when I read this thought it is some kind of hoax.
But after sometime digesting what he said, the author really has a good point.
Here is the article:
http://leongszehian.com/?p=6148
1. For housing it is quite simple, the subsidy is a "market subsidy" which the govt computes as a "loss" on paper. But net cash flow for the govt is positive, for housing. The govt net net does not spend a single cent for housing, in fact cash flows from CPF and Singaporeans to govt coffers in the housing scheme.
2. For healthcare it is hard to understand:
Govt does not spend a single cent on healthcare?
So you net off. The govt actually spends next to nothing on healthcare...and in fact cash flow positive to the tune of 3-4B each year with money flowing into Medisave.
Wow...talk about indirect taxes.
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[TD="align: center"]24-10-2013 02:45 PM[/TD]
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[TD="class: trow1, align: center"]sgbuffett <!-- start: postbit_offline -->

Member
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[TD] Quite surprise when I read this thought it is some kind of hoax.
But after sometime digesting what he said, the author really has a good point.
Here is the article:
http://leongszehian.com/?p=6148
1. For housing it is quite simple, the subsidy is a "market subsidy" which the govt computes as a "loss" on paper. But net cash flow for the govt is positive, for housing. The govt net net does not spend a single cent for housing, in fact cash flows from CPF and Singaporeans to govt coffers in the housing scheme.
2. For healthcare it is hard to understand:
Govt does not spend a single cent on healthcare?
<cite>Quote:</cite>"So, from a citizen’s cash-flow perspective, if we pay about $7 billion a year into Medisave (which is taken by the Government vide non-marketable Government bonds which pay the same interest as the Medisave account) and the Government spends $4.885 billion a year – is it not in a sense, equivalent to the Government not having to spend a single cent on healthcare?
Even if we include the total Amount Withdrawn from Medisave for Direct Medical Expenses of $768 million, withdrawals to pay Medishield premiums of $446.7 millionand and Medifund grants to institutions of $98.2 million, in 2012 - the grand total sum including Government public healthcare spending may still be less than $7 billion.
Basically govt is cash flow positive due to Medisave & medishield. $7B flow into Medisave, Medishield, Even if we include the total Amount Withdrawn from Medisave for Direct Medical Expenses of $768 million, withdrawals to pay Medishield premiums of $446.7 millionand and Medifund grants to institutions of $98.2 million, in 2012 - the grand total sum including Government public healthcare spending may still be less than $7 billion.
<cite>Quote:</cite>According to the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) web site, Singapore’s healthcare public spending as a percentage of GDP was about 1.4 per cent or $4.885 billion ($4.081 billion operating expenditure and $641 million development expenditure) in FY12, making it one of the lowest spending in the world.
So $7B plus goes into Medisave & medisield but $1.2B is paid out. This over time created an accumulation of $60B in medisave account. Now how the govt use the $60B?<cite>Quote:</cite>Also, what about the excess returns earned by the Government on the $60 billion total Medisave balance (Temasek and the Government Investment Corporation (GIC) had annualised returns of 16 per cent in S$ terms for the last 39 years, and about 6 per cent in US$ terms for the last 20 years or so,
The govt makes about 6-16% return on the this which more or less the $4.8B budget for Ministry of Health on public healthcare spending.So you net off. The govt actually spends next to nothing on healthcare...and in fact cash flow positive to the tune of 3-4B each year with money flowing into Medisave.
Wow...talk about indirect taxes.
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