The Singapore government is cost of marriage registrations in an effort to raise more taxes. Registration fees for Singaporeans increased from S$26 to S$42, while for foreigners, the fees increased from as low as S$128 to S$380.
The move is part of the general price hikes adopted by the ruling party PAP government including a 30% water price hike, 2.4% electricity and gas tariff hike, COE tax hike, ERP tax hike and Malaysia-Singapore border tax hike.
Although many Singaporeans criticised the tax hikes as money grubbing, more Singaporeans are worried about the amount of national reserves and CPF funds in the two sovereign wealth fund companies, GIC and Temasek Holdings. GIC is managed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who sits as Chairman (a position he inherited from his father Lee Kuan Yew). Temasek Holdings is managed by the PM’s wife, Ho Ching, who took the seat via nepotism. Lee Hsien Loong’s chairmanship at GIC, and his wife’s CEO position at Temasek Holdings has never been challenged for the past 14 years.
Both GIC and Temasek Holdings posted record tens of billions of losses in 2016, with GIC more worrying as they refused to declare the actual amount of losses. GIC said that not declaring losses and their financials is in “public’s interests”.
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The increase in taxes is likely to cover up the investment losses made by Lee Hsien Loong and Ho Ching. The corrupted couple are the most powerful beings in Singapore, with criticisms by Singaporeans often met with legal actions. In 2016, online writer Roy Ngerng Yi Ling posted his financial analysis on CPF funds and were sued by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Roy Ngerng lost the court suit in a default judgment as the Singapore Court is corrupted by the dictator PM’s influence, he was made to pay S$150,000 in defamation compensation to Lee Hsien Loong.
Singapore is ranked the most expensive city in the world for 4 year straight by the Economist Intelligence Unit, largely due to high consumption taxes levied by the government.