Should the govt give GST cash vouchers or waive GST on basic necessities?
I've been thinking about this ever since yesterday's YOUthSpeak dialogue event on Budget 2018!
The government believes it is easier to simply give GST cash vouchers so that they do not have to get into the debate of defining what's a necessity and what's not.
Many states in the US do not have tax on groceries. Could that be a model we can explore for Singapore?
Cos otherwise, we'll be paying 9% to 19% pretty soon, and that's going to be crazy!!! (don't forget the 10% service charge imposed by many places)
Tampon tax
Elsewhere in the US, there's a major debate regarding taxes on feminine hygiene products, which are taxed at the same rate as other non-essentiall goods 😨 Wow, I never knew this was such a big issue until today!
Women are being taxed for simply being a woman 😨😱😨😱 eh, feminine hygiene isn't a choice leh. Why are they taxed for their biological nature?!?!?
Just throwing out ideas on how I think "neccessities" could be defined:
– bread
– rice, noodles
– poultry & seafood
– sauces
– cooking oil
– pads, pantyliners, tampons
– milk powder
– baby diapers
– fruits & vegetables
– toiletries (sold in supermarkets?)
#dayremums any other ideas?
– ice cream?