No longer cheap to drink water

PETALING JAYA: Reflective of the increasing cost of living in the Klang Valley is the price that eating joints charge for plain water – up to RM1.50.

“Most cafes in this area charge more than 80 sen for a glass of water. So as a business, we have to follow the market price,” said The Coffee and Spice Company operations manager Jun Cheong.

The “kopitiam” concept eatery in KLCC charges its customers RM1.50 for a glass of plain water, which is refillable.

Chakri Palace KLCC restaurant manager CK Chong cited the same reason as Jun for charging customers 80 sen for a refillable glass of distilled water.

Expensive sky juice: Most restaurants charge their customers between 50 and 80 sen for a glass of plain water.

Other restaurants such as Spice of India and Bumbu Desa do not offer distilled water at all, and only serve bottled mineral or reverse-osmosis water.

“Most of our customers here are tourists who prefer to order bottled water,” said Northen Indian cuisine restaurant manager Christopher Dinesh Kumar, adding that a bottle of mineral water costs between RM4 and RM8, depending on the brand.

In SS2, most restaurants charge their customers between 50 and 80 sen for a glass of sky juice.

Food outlet Italiano’s manager Anggun Shidee said plain water used to be free, but the restaurant now charged 50 sen a glass because there were too few customers ordering the other beverages.

“As an Italian restaurant, our coffee and juices are part of our speciality. Now more customers order our other beverages instead of just drinking plain water,” she said.

Chinese restaurant Dragon One operating manager Pang Choi Nganalso said that plain water used to be free but the restaurant now charged 80 sen a glass to help pay for the water bill.

In Bangsar, “kopitiam” concept outlet Chawan manager Imran Adnansaid many restaurants charge for plain water because of the high operations costs.

“Even the mamaks around here charge for plain water,” he said, adding that a glass of plain water at Chawan costs 50 sen.

Papparich manager Danny TC said the restaurant charged 60 sen for a glass of distilled water.

Petaling Jaya Restaurant and Coffeeshop Operators Association secretary Lee Thien Moon said restaurants and cafes now charged for everything, even plain water, because of the increase in rental prices and increased levy on foreign workers.

“Rental in many areas in Petaling Jaya and KL are now so expensive. Furthermore, the levy on foreign workers working in restaurants has been increased from RM600 to RM1,800. So restaurateurs have no choice but to charge their customers more,” he said.

In JOHOR BARU, the price of plain water was relatively cheap.

A check showed that restaurants in Jalan Maju charged between 30 sen and 50 sen per glass while mamak restaurants served free water to customers.

醒吓啦，香港人！

【網友分享： 星加坡 vs. 香港房屋】 房屋、置業、高地價以至高樓價, 一值都是困擾香港社會的問題。
新政府上任後, 各情況得不到舒緩, 反而節節上升, 曾經中順口開河的種種, 都只不過是一個又一個謊言。除了痛罵政府的不濟, 以下這篇分享兩地房屋的文章, 很值得一讀, 多作了解。

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新加坡年青人買千呎樓，首期一萬二，政府回贈三萬，香港政府是否要反思今天極度失敗的房屋政策？

香港傳媒喜歡將香港和新加坡相互比較，將新加坡作為徦想敵。記得多年前李光耀先生說過新加坡不再視香港為競爭對手，當日香港傳媒輿論奮起攻擊李光耀的論調。因為香港傳媒誤認李先生對香港帶有眨意。當日李資政其實意指新加坡一個這樣細少的國家，在今天的全球化氣候和環境下，不可能祇跟個別地方或國家競爭。新加坡面對的是地球村裡任何競爭者。可惜香港傳媒到今天都常常喜歡將事情跟新加坡比較。

在香港和新加坡最大的資源是甚麼，人力是大家唯一的資源。所以我個人認為國民 /市民質素及歸屬感是兩地值得比較的。對於人民質素，我不認為兩地人民素質有大分別，祇是大家取長補短而以。

我相信新加坡人無論政治取向如何都比大部份香港人較認同自己政府推行的政策。新加坡人比香港人對自己的國家（新加坡）或城市（香港）有更大歸屬感。

人對自己的國家產生歸屬感包含很多元素。但是擁有屬於自己物業資產必定是一個重要元素。

我女兒跟未婚夫昨年一月抽中新加坡建屋發展局的新建組屋，新屋應在2014年入伙。收屋取鎖匙的時候要出示結婚證書。因為在新加坡申請購買新建政府組屋的其中一個要求，是申請人必定由二人組成的核心家庭。

他們抽簽這組別的屋苑時，機會是1800多申請者爭取600多個單位。因為該新建屋苑都靠近雙方父母居所，再加上他們是第一次購屋者。所以獲取三個優先條件，讓他們選屋輪候號碼從一千二百多變成六百多。他們剛剛獲得最後幾十個揀樓的機會。他們選了一個實用面積一千平方呎的低層單位。它的價值是新加坡幣二十四萬。他們從自己的中央公積金付了五巴仙樓價的首期。跟著等待收鎖匙入伙時再從中央公積金多付五巴仙首期，樓花期是不用償還貸款，住進新居後才開始償還貸款。

我女兒昨天通知我，因為未婚夫昨年中才讀畢學位課程，到八九月時才再加入人力資源行列，所以他們往年的總收入差小許才達新幣六萬塊（約三十七萬港元或月薪約三萬元）。原來新加坡政府會補貼三萬新幣給第一次購屋而平均月薪少於五千新幣（約港幣三萬元）的家庭。樓價變成新幣二十一萬。

最奇特的是他們往年從公積金戶口才付了一萬二千多元首期。但新加坡政府卻來信告知已將三萬坡幣放入他們的公積金戶口。除了可以即時賺取利息外，下一筆一萬二千元的首期已有著落。又或者就算經濟環境轉差，導致雙雙失業兩至三年，也不用擔心供樓的問題。當然還是要自己解決三茶兩飯，一般經濟衰退年頭，政府都會補貼管理費及水電費，所以不用擔心供樓就顯得非常重要。

在香港月入港幣三萬元的家庭罔想從香港政府取得任何形式的置業津貼。一千呎實用面積的樓房就算建在偏遠郊區也起碼售港幣五百萬（約新幣八十萬）以上，還有是零年期，每年要繳交約六百仙乘以由政府所厘定樓宇租值的數額，作地租和差餉。

所以今天香港大部份的父母都為孩子置業而煩惱。兩月前在旺角花園街發生九死火災和昨年初紅磡的三死塌樓所涉及的劏房，在香港比比佳是。再差的籠屋單位（Bed inside a cage）更不用說。

香港政府房屋政策長期傾斜向大地產發展商，給社大部份階級人事帶來居住和巨大生活壓力。如何給香港市民帶來歸屬感，大部份人都存著過客心態，對政治冷漠。所以我認真覺得對國家認同感和歸屬感，香港必輸給新加坡。

以上觀點純屬個人意見，不代表任何羣體。

二零一二年聯合早報以“年輕情侶 精打細算 預約愛巢”為題的一篇報導，值得香港政府反醒，制定更合理的房屋政策，改變房屋是純商品的概念。
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(*註：新加坡 - Personal Tax 的 max 是 20%)