Like I said before, what's the preoccupation with landed property? With a million bucks, you can buy a few hectares of land in Perak or Pahang.

Compare the std abode. This means 4 room HDB in Singapore and a landed (semi D?) in Australia.

That's right. Which means, on the same token, CPF is not an issue.

Public education for PRs is quite cheap in Singapore as well.

Australia's baby bonus is only if the mother doesn't receive salary during her maternity leave. On top of that, there's an income ceiling of 75K over 6 months after the baby is born. The income ceiling includes both parent's income.

Yes, I did. And do you see a lack of cars in Singapore? Obviously lots of people can afford cars, even at the inflated prices. And like I said... Australia is very expensive to maintain a car. Just one accident, tow, repair and reinsurance... you've eaten quite a bit of the COE difference already. Trust me, I know. I rearended someone with my aunt's old Corolla a long, long time ago in Melbourne, and I used one whole semester of my school fees to pay for the repairs and the difference in her subsequent insurance costs. I had to change my course and register for the work experience program and work full time for a year to save money to pay for my final year. Just one accident, and I graduated one year later.

S$7K x 13 months is 90K. That's gross. After tax, the SG finance manager is way ahead.

Are you talking about CPF? Why is it tax? You'll get it back when you give up your PR (55y.o. for Malaysians). Plus you have the option to monetise it in property.

Forever? You want to base your long term immigration decision on current FD rates?

In Singapore, the employer portion of CPF is not included in the job advert also lah.

You're overestimating how many people earn 90-110K in Australia. Actually, it's quite rare. Lots of people earn 60, 70K. Even those who do manual labour. Although I have no statistics, I dare say someone earning 100K and above in Singapore is much higher per capita vs Australia.

Does Australia pay a high return on super? That's why most Singaporeans pull out their CPF to buy property.

Nope. By using your hands, your earning power is limited by your energy, health and number of hours in a day. That's why the Australian average wage is higher than Singapore. Manual workers earn quite a lot, COMPARATIVELY. But there's a very real and low ceiling to their earnings.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 23 2011, 06:30 PM

Yes. My company has about 70 finance staff in SG and about 50% are foreigners. Not counting the senior managers and directors, the pay of the execs to junior managers range from 4K to 12K. Out of the 10 senior managers/directors, 3 are from SG, 1 Malaysia, 2 HK, 1 India, 2 Australia, 1 South American.

My company's starting pay for fresh grads is above 3K, regardless of nationality. All the MNCs I know are likewise.

I don't know. I've been here 6 years and promoted 3 times. a major factor is the high concentration of foreigners in management. In Australia, the overwhelming majority of managers will be locals and look upon you as an intruder.

That's your belief. In Australia, I see a country that's complacent and overdependent on selling natural resources. Singapore's selling services and technology. More importantly, everybody's hungry.

Not my problem. I intend to be part of the rich.

Anyway, this is getting nowhere. You've got your view. If you find Australia better, go for it.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 23 2011, 07:47 PM

gothere.sg.

It's a very useful site.

Nagging is one thing. The White Australia policy, One Nation Party and racial bashings are a totally different matter.

That's the beauty of Singapore. All the big boys are here onshore. The RHQs are all here. Some companies even have the global HQ for parts of their businesses here. That's why there are lots of big jobs paying good money.

So... all of a sudden, finance people print money in Australia, vs being a cost center in Singapore?

Anyway... I think you've got your mind made up. Good luck in Australia.

Tell him that you are willing to save him the trouble of dealing with CPF regarding that contribution. He can simply pay you in cash each month. Simple. Less paperwork for him to contribute, less paperwork for you to withdraw. Win-win for both of you. There's absolutely no reason for him to refuse your offer, unless he's BS-ing you.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 24 2011, 10:51 PM

At least those guys have someone who want to pay them those salaries. Most people can't convince others to pay them anywhere near those salaries even if they offer to work 24/7.

If your time is worthless or only worth something to people who only want to buy small amounts of it, you can of course talk about work life balance.

If you can't convince one person (an employer) to pay you more for your talents, why would you think you can convince many members of the public to do so?

Making money, whether it's via employment or business - hinges on talent and ability. If you don't have that, it doesn't matter if you earn a salary or earn a profit. You won't be making much money.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 26 2011, 09:21 AM

I agree. That's why I depend on promotion and bonus, not increment.

That's basically RM7K salary plus S$100 per diem each day for a long term assignment in Singapore. OK what.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 27 2011, 05:41 PM

Good point. I missed the part about "as long as the project goes". I thought it was permanent.

If it's 2 years, I think it's a good deal. Unless you feel you should be getting an expat deal ie. good accomodation and spending money for year after year.

But then again... any decision should always be based on your available/achievable options. Not wannabe/nice to have options. This might not seem like a good deal vs an expat deal. But then, are you in a position to obtain an expat deal?

And what are you earning in KL? Is RM7K already a step up and therefore, as long as S$3K can comfortably cover your expenses in SG, it's a better deal overall? Or is RM7K same as or lower than your current, and whether it's a good deal depends on maximising the savings from that S$3K?

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 27 2011, 07:06 PM

Just like how the company doesn't anyhow hire you, you shouldn't anyhow join a company. Like buying shares, choose one with good fundamentals.

At some point in your career, EVERYBODY in your peer group can do the job. What makes the difference in promotions is how much they are trusted, their reputation/credibility and who is backing them. You lose all 3 elements each time you change job. You'll find it gets exponentially less common to change employers and increase (or even maintain) your earnings, as you get nearer to the pointy part of the pyramid.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 28 2011, 09:15 AM

Yup... 120% in total... LTA.

If you want to pick your favourite bus co., dates and timing, yes. If you go later and canvas all the ticketing counters, you'll still probably find tickets but in my experience, you'll end up in one of those "additional buses"... ie. bas kilang or bas sekolah.

I've even experienced... from Singapore, they put you on the normal charter bus to Larkin. Then in Larkin, that's where the nightmare starts. Switch to a bas kilang, then take some highway, some old trunk road, lots of stops, pick up people, let people off, the driver "deliver stuff" etc. One time, my bus even kena detained by JPJ for 2 hours at their CNY roadblock.

That's why these days, I fly. So much simpler, more comfortable... but damn expensive if you book late... like now. My Firefly CNY return flight is almost RM800.

Depends on where you are employed.

1. Who's your employer? Is your contract with a SG registered company or MY registered one?

2. Where are you able to work? Obviously you can work in MY as you're Malaysian, but do you have a WP/EP to work in SG?

3. Where is your salary paid? In S$ into a SG bank account or RM into a MY bank account? Are you paying CPF or EPF?

And even if you are determined to be employed in MY or SG, the tax dept in SG or MY might still deem you to be earning income in their country. You might need to pay tax in 2 countries... but you can claim a deduction for taxes paid in one country when you file tax in the other.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 31 2011, 09:58 PM

Then you'll pay tax to Singapore as your employer will submit a statement of your income to the Singapore tax dept each year.

However, because it can be argued that you are stationed in Malaysia and derive income from Malaysia, you might need to pay Malaysian income tax. This is common for example for expats where their employment is with their company in their home country and their salary is paid in their home country as well - but they still need to pay tax in their host country because they 'generate their income' in their host country. Expats have their host country tax liability paid by their employer.

You should get your company to agree in writing to pay for any taxes you could potentially incur in Malaysia IF the LHDN somehow find out about you and decide to send you a tax return.

This post has been edited by seantang: Oct 31 2011, 11:34 PM

Indeed. The regulation of drivers (ie. driver's licence) and the regulation of cars allowed to be driven or remain in Singapore (ie. registration or country of origin) are 2 entirely separate issues.

If he's office based, yes. Goes out onsite, no. Goes offshore, definitely not.

But whichever it is, 14K at 30... that would put him at top 5% of tax paying salary earners in Singapore.