i am not afraid to stand alone~~if Allah is by my side

Friday, February 16, 2007

To answer that, let's track back to the year 2000.

7 years ago I forked out $345 for maid levy + $230 for her wage = $575
Currently I am forking out $200 levy + $290 for her wage = $490
Come 1st July '07, I will be forking out $170 + $290 for her wage - $460

So how much do I gain from this new budget? $30 less from what I've been paying to the Govt. Ok lah, better than nothing. No big deal some might say. Having said that, the huge difference is actually the amount which I paid back in 2000 compare to the current amount. Right from the beginning, I don't see the rationale of paying high maid levy to the Govt when in fact we could have used that amount to provide a more reasonable, deserving wage for the maid. Thank God they (Govt) realise this.

Ok, so they made an increment to the wage, from a meagre $230 to about $290 (to $400 for some maids). So they say - you pay peanuts, you get monkeys (hmm..where have I heard that before). But hello, excuse me....you might pay peanuts but they certainly aren't monkeys alright. Monkeys don't cook, monkeys don't wash toilet, don't do laundry, dont' do massages, don't run errands, don't tend to babies, children. They just don't care, period.

So yes, if you ask me....it is a big deal. I have few possibilities which I believe will not bog me down financially. I can give the maid a raise, buy her meaningful gifts, expenses paid holidays and the list just goes on and on. Bottomline is - she HAPPY, I HAPPY.

The rest of it all - GST credits, employer's CPF contribution rate (from 13% to 14.5%), property tax rebate of $100/annum for 2 years, reduction in road tax by 8 percent......these are, chocolate icing on my cake.

So, I'm in it for all the above. What's in it for you?

Friday, February 16, 2007