The Government is studying calls for change in parent's tax relief.

So they do take feedback seriously.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Parliament/Story/STIStory_756530.html

To: azacamis@xxx.com
CC: TAXQUERIES@iras.gov.sg
Subject: Fw: GTE11/IITE/12/175 Fw: Feedback on parents relief for personal income tax
From: Sumarni_SADALI@iras.gov.sg
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:14:54 +0800

Dear Mr Azhar,
We refer to your e-mail of 13 Dec 2011.
Thank you for your feedback. We will share your feedback with the Ministry of Finance for future review of the policy.

Regards
Sumarni Sadali (Mdm)Assistant Manager (Employee Branch-Individual Income Tax Div)| Inland Revenue Authority of Singaporehttp://www.iras.gov.sg___________________________________________________________________Our Taxes. Our Nation

Azhar Khamis 13/12/2011 12:26 PM (Tel: )

To cc Subject Feedback on parents relief for personal income tax

Dear Sir, 

1. I would like to provide my feedback on the above mentioned subject. 

2.  Referring to the following
http://iras.gov.sg/irasHome/page04_ektid212.aspx
One of the condition for eligibility states that "No one else is claiming this relief" which means that only one of the dependants' children is allowed to file a claim regardless if the dependants lived in the same household or not, or if the dependant have more than one children.

3. 'Parent/handicapped parent relief' is a relief to promote filial piety and provide recognition to individuals supporting their parents/handicapped parents in Singapore. The above mentioned condition runs contrary to the statement because it encourages only one the dependant's children to support their parents.

4. While it makes sense if the above condition applies to cases where the dependants lived in the same household as dependants cannot live in more than one household at the time, it do not make sense however if the dependants lived in a separate household especially when the they have more than 2 children and all of them are supporting their parents. The condition as mentioned earlier do not encourage the rest of the children to support their parents.

5. IRAS should change the condition to the following to really promote filial piety and recognition to all individuals supporting their parents.

Only one claim is allowed for dependant living in the same household.
Multiple claims are allowed if dependant is not living in the same household.

Regards
Azhar Khamis 

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SingPass finally removed Java

From: Singpass-helpdesk@crimsonlogic.com
To:
CC: Singpass-helpdesk@crimsonlogic.com
Subject: RE: REACH RWEB Submission: #649383

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2011 03:39:14 +0000

Dear Azhar Khamis,

We are pleased to inform that you can login with your SingPass using the web browsers of Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, Symbian and Windows-based mobile devices. For more information on SingPass, please visit www.singpass.gov.sg.

Once again, thank you for your valuable feedback.

Should you have any further query, please call us at +65 68877377 or email us at singpass-helpdesk@crimsonlogic.com.

We are happy to be of service to you.

Yours sincerely

Emily Lim
SingPass Helpdesk

CrimsonLogic Pte Ltd
(Regn No: 198800784N)
31 Science Park Road, The Crimson, Singapore 117611
Main Line: +65 68877377
Visit us at www.singpass.gov.sg

===========================================================================

NOTICE
This eMail and any attachments are intended solely for the named addressee(s) only. It contains confidential and/or privileged information which should not be copied or disclosed without the consent of the CrimsonLogic group. If you are not the intended recipient or if you have received this eMail in error, you must not copy, distribute, disclose or take any action in reliance on it (or any part of its contents). In such case, you should inform the CrimsonLogic group immediately by eMail or telephone +65 68877377 (reverse charges if necessary) and delete this eMail and any attachments from your system.
The integrity and security of Internet communications and in particular this eMail and any attachments cannot be guaranteed. The CrimsonLogic group accepts no liability whatsoever in connection therewith. You are strongly advised to carry out all necessary virus checks and that you open this eMail and any attachments at your own risk.

---

From: REACH (REACH) [mailto:reach@reach.gov.sg]
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 3:07 PM
To: Singpass-helpdesk
Cc:
Subject: RE: REACH RWEB Submission:

QSM Crimsonlogic

The feedback is forwarded for your attention, please. When you reply to the contributor, please extend a copy to us.

Thank you.

S.Alageswari

(On behalf of Fiona Gee)

* Please copy your reply to reach@reach.gov.sg

  reach | Toll Free Line: 1800 353 5555| Fax: (65) 6354 8128

reaching everyone for active citizenry @ home    www.reach.gov.sg

      

WARNING: This email may contain privileged and confidential information. If you receive this email by mistake, you should immediately notify the sender and delete the email.  Unauthorised communication and disclosure of any information in the email is an offence under the Official Secrets Act (Cap 213).

From: reachadmin@reachadmin.com [mailto:reachadmin@reachadmin.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 31 May, 2011 10:36 AM
To: reachadmin@reachadmin.com
Subject: REACH RWEB Submission:

Hi Admin,

A public user has submitted his/her feedback RWEB2011053100001 via the REACH website.

Here are his/her personal details:
Name: Azhar Khamis
Contact Email:
Contact Number:
Contact Mobile:
Country of Residence: SINGAPORE
City:

Here is his/her remark:
It is time to remove Java from SingPass Authentication Service to facilitate logins from mobile or devices that are not Java capable. This will further encourage the use of online government services. All banks in Singapore have already done so since the past one year. When is SingPass going to follow suit?

Regards,
REACH Administrator

Let me terminate my Mio TV, please

If you look through SingTel FAQ, you'll find this.

How do I terminate my mio TV service?
For termination of mio TV service, please call our mio Hotline 1688. Hotline operating hours:    Daily, 8am - 10pm

However, don't waste your time calling their Hotline.

There is no phone option for termination in the first place. You will instead be put through their phone options maze where you'll probably get hold of the customer service in the end. If not, try your luck by calling again. And after wasting your time asking for details, the CSO will transfer you to instead to the termination department.

You will be serviced by another CSO who will try to persuade you to not terminate their service. They practically hard sell not just to get you to keep your Mio TV service, but everything under the red umbrella.

The best part is when in the end they will tell you that the actual termination will only take place when you return their set top box to one of the four SingPost branch. In other words, you do not need to waste your time calling their Hotline.

I do not know who came out with this brilliant idea to piss customers off because it works very well indeed.

Anyway the four SingPost branch, correct at the time I posted this, are

1. Paya Lebar
2. Killiney Road
3. Woodlands
4. Jurong Point

Update: As mentioned in one of the comments, it is advisable to make a call to the branch first to check if they are able to process your termination request. Also, the items to return are the mio box, the power supply and the remote controller. Do make sure that your contract is over, else there will be termination fee. To find out if you are still under contract, call 1688.

Update: As mentioned by garfeel, you can also have it sent to SingTel Shop at Bugis and AMK

Update: SingTel customer service did say that certain Hello Shop are able to provide termination service. I guess it is best to call the outlet you plan to go first.

Baby strollers

When we were expecting our first child, I did quite a bit of research on which stroller to get that will fit our needs.

By right carrying your child during the first few months is better for bonding and development of the child but there are times when you need your hands and arms free to do something else. So a stroller can be a necessity at times.

I love those designer looking strollers like Stokke, Quinny etc but then I had to throw practicality out of the window. Bulky and heavy stroller may be fine with me but it may be a hassle for the missus and our parents especially when getting in and out of the car.

So I decided to list out the criteria that a stroller should have

1. Lightweight

2. Small footprint when folded

3. For infant onward

4. Reversible handle

5. Swivel rear wheels.

Being lightweight is important especially for the ladies in our lives. You can't be there for them all the time so they will thank you for getting a lightweight stroller, trust me.

Being small when folded is important too especially when you drive, unless you have a huge boot. Else the stroller is going to cause problems when you go grocery shopping.

A stroller that can be use for infants onward means that the seat can recline to at least 170 because they are not able to sit just yet.

Reversible handle is great when your child is still an infant. It also helps to continue the bond between parent and child with as much eye contact as possible. Even if your child is no longer an infant, it comes in handy when they need to take a nap while you're out with them. The ability to keep a watch on them on the move is a great plus. 

Having all wheels able to swivel and locked when needed is important when the handle is reversed. There are many strollers that have reversible handle but not many have rear wheels that can swivel. The reason why this is important is because when the handle is reversed, the front and rear wheels change roles. It is not easy to push a stroller with the front wheels not able to swivel. Think of a forklift and you'll understand why.

As far as I know, only Combi and Capella has models that meet all the above mentioned criteria.

Capella have a few models namely S-228, S-705, S-707. They are distributed by Taime. Of the 3, only S-228 can be converted to a travel system when combined with S-1100 or S-1101 infant car seat.

Combi's version is called the Miracle Turn. It is more advanced than the Capella that two wheels will swivel (or lock) automatically depending on the direction of handle without you having to do anything. Downside is, it is expensive. There are 3 versions ranging from $400+ to $700+. Combi is distributed by Tai Sing.

Due to cost and the ability to combine with an infant car seat, I decided to go with Capella S-228.

Now it is not to say that the Capella is the best choice there is. It does come with its drawbacks. The following are some of it.

1. When a stroller can be double folded, the handle will be made up of two or more parts. Overtime, the joints will wear out and the handle will not be that straight anymore.

2. When a stroller comes with handles that can be reversed, the handle is almost usually one continuous piece. So if you plan to hook your shopping bags etc, you will spend extra on hooks.

3. With all wheels drive, you will normally lock the two 'rear' wheels from swiveling for easier steering.   This is the reason why Combi's Miracle Turn is easier as it does that automatically. Allowing all wheels to swivel while pushing is very difficult as you loose control of the direction. You also need to lock the wheels so that you can double fold the stroller. So having to lock and unlock often may be a hassle.

4. You will need to reverse the stroller at times, especially in crowded places such as lifts etc. Reversing the stroller can become difficult overtime as the wheels swivel locking mechanism have more play due to wear. This causes the 'rear' wheels to swivel to the side in opposite direction. I manage to overcome this by locking only one 'rear' wheel each time. This way, when you reverse, one of the rear wheels can swivel and will not try to move in opposite direction to the lock wheels.