ERP going up again!

I was driving home this evening when i heard the news over the radio - the Ministry of Trspt is going to increase the ERP rates again. They are even setting up gantries in residential areas. Ok, inflation is on the rise. Let's not talk abt the rising cost of public transport & cab fares. But i do wonder, will setting up gantries around the island really elevate the traffic congestion?

I drive to work daily but honestly, despite the roads are congested, they are a far cry from those in Bangkok & Sydney! Maybe the govt thinks that they are taking a preventive measure but hey, diverting the traffic from congested expressways to other outskirt roads aren't gonna solve the problem coz one day, roads along the outskirts will be jammed too! Then the "clever" idea to ease congestion will kick in again - more ERP gantries!!! Why not just set a gantry outside every HDB/ pte housing estate so we can just pay the moment we drive out? Can u imagine that the takings from the new gantries is expected to be S$70millon per annum?!

Oh, road tax is suppose to be reduced by 15% but hmm, doesn't this only benefit the folks who drive larger cars? 15% of a larger amt means they'd save more ya? Won't this widen the income gap even more? With the rising inflation rate, the poor is already getting poorer. For PMEBs like us earning a decent salary, we aren't even coping well with the inflation how abt the blue-collared workers who has a family to feed? Even a barrel of LPG for cooking cost $29 now!

I don't deny that Singapore is relatively well-governed and yes, i really do appreciate Singapore's cleaniness and safety. But well, sometimes govt policies do baffle me. Benchmarking ministers' pay to the private section (bankers, lawyers etc.), welcoming foreign talent into Singapore and indirectly forcing our best talents to head out to become foreign talents in other countries and best of all, ask us to be stayers, not quitters! Gosh, what an irony!