Finally went for a short run today, after 3 weeks of saying "I'm going to wake up at 7,30am tomorrow and run" and after 2 months of exercise break. haven't been able to wake up at 7.30am for the last 3 weeks, and today isn't an exception. But I still managed to pull myself out of the stuffy house and pumped my heart a little bit. Have been feeling so lazy and lethargic lately, and increased blood circulation is definitely the best remedy for that!

Was discussing with a friend yesterday with regards to income taxes in Sg and US. Was quite surprised to realize that Sg's income tax is so much lower than what I had expected! For those who are unaware of the figures, the income tax for an annual pay of 60k in US is about 25% and that in Sg is less than 5%!!! These are estimates only, because the income tax is progressive in both cases.

Therefore, although wages may be much lower in Sg, the tax is even lower, and after a short calculation, the final take-home (and usable) salary could even be higher than what I could get in US! No wonder Singaporeans are generally wealthier than many other countries, including the US!!!

But then again, the calculation is applicable to my current situation only. The discrepancy comes from the fact that I would not have to pay for the accomodation and utilities if I were in Sg. Neither would I need to worry about food or daily necessities most of the time. Therefore, with so much costs out of the way, the income that I earn in Sg is basically what I could use to save or spend on luxury items.

In US however, I have to pay for my own apartment rental, which amounts to approximately USD$900 a month, my car insurance ($150 a month), utilities and daily necessities. A brief calculation would land me in approximately the same or 80% lower savings as compared to savings in Sg. Of course, including CPF in the calculations would make working in US even more unattractive!

Well, so why would I still want to work in the States?

For one, I would want to point out the fact that although taxes are much higher in the States, the wages are also higher. Therefore, I would argue that the expenditure for both locations are vastly different, and if I were to include accomodation and stuff for the case in Sg (which is not totally impractical as I could have a family to support), I would probably not survive there! Besides for a slightly lower savings, I would be able to have a place to stay, have a car, and enjoy a different environment, and this doesn't sound that bad either. Of course, the bad thing about US is the absence of cheap and good Char Kway Teow.

Anyway, for another, in order to command an even higher salary in Sg, or in the least, get a better chance of employment, working for a good company in US is a good alternative. I would be able to introduce a different perspective, a different kind of operations procedure to the company I would work for in the future.

And for a third, it is definitely much easier to pursue a Masters degree in Business Administration in the States if I worked for a company in the States. Moreover, like what my bro said, I may even be granted resident tuition fees for my graduate degree. Besides, my company may even sponsor me (I've read the Welcome book) for my degree here if my performance is good! The same kind of treatment is probably possible for a company in Sg, but I would speculate that the probability is much much lower than the already low probability here. So I would argue that this is a strong point to stay for work in the States at this point.

There are a few other points which I would not reveal, but one of them is related to the reason of staying independently. College experience has only been a side of independent living, and work experience is another. This would prove useful for living away from my family in the future when I have a family of my own.

Ermz... One last important point!!! Working in the states also helps me siam NS!!! :P hahaha~

Well, having said so much positive things about staying in the states, obviously there are prices to pay as well. By working in the States, I'd not only forfeit my CPF, but also the good and cheap food in Sg. Being single, I'd also forfeit the time and chances to meet my ideal singapore girl. But then again, I'd have more chances to meet a girl of a different country origin (Naomi!!! :P)!!! But given a choice, I'd still prefer a Sg or Msian Chinese girl. hehe~ :P

Oh well, so much for the discussion on work in both countries... Was a little discouraged by the taxes here initially, but after writing about it, I think it's not that bad after all. May be losing out a little in terms of money, but I'd be gaining a lot more in other areas. yeah.