20/07/2007

PollutionPolice: Social Conscience vs Pollution

Here's how easy it is to setup a social network and start spreading the word...3 simple steps none of which require you to know a single line of code...

1. Setup an account on Ning (www.ning.com)
2. Use Ning to create a social network...drag-drop features, change appearance and see how this translates into a powerful platform. Don't forget to add some content!
3. Use an existing social network such as Facebook to spread the word.

As an example, I have created PollutionPolice (http://pollutionpolice.ning.com/)

The idea is dead simple...something that we can all do.

  1. Equip yourself with a camera (or camera phone) and find incriminating evidence of your neighbors, schoolmates, colleagues...anyone who thinks they can pollute / harm / damage the environment and get away with it! Simple things like littering on the street, having a faulty gas exhaust, burning rubbish...go imagine!
  2. Upload your photos / videos on PollutionPolice (http://pollutionpolice.ning.com/).

The whole point is to create e-evidence for such crime that usually gets swept under the carpet.

And btw, you needn't go to your computer to upload photos from your camera everytime. As long as you have created an account, visit the following link to get an email address which you can use to send photos directly from your camera phone to the website...
http://pollutionpolice.ning.com/photo/photo/addByPhone

Now ain't that simple? So take a camera, and catch polluters red-handed!

08/07/2007

Singapore: Best Place to Start your Business - Part I

As part of its drive to foster local enterprise, the Singapore Government is sequentially liberalising policy. Recently, it passed a ruling to allow full tax exemption for new companies:

"Full tax exemption can be granted on normal chargeable income (excluding Singapore franked dividends) of a qualifying company up to $100,000, for any of its first three consecutive YAs that falls in YA 2005 and beyond.

To qualify for the tax exemption for a relevant YA under the new scheme, a company must:

  • be a company incorporated in Singapore
  • be a tax resident in Singapore for that YA
  • have no more than 20 shareholders throughout the basis period relating to that YA;

and, any company that does not meet the qualifying conditions for any of its first three consecutive YAs falling in YA 2005 and beyond would still be eligible for partial tax exemption."

Income Tax Rates
  • First $100,000 Nil
  • The next $100,001 to $300,000 9%
  • Thereafter a Flat Rate of 18%
Existing companies Corporate tax rate will drop from 20% to 18%. For small-to-midsize companies, these cuts bring the effective tax rate to significantly lower than Honk Kong's and make Singapore a very attractive destination for incorporating and growing a business. A Singapore company with profits around 300K will now have an effective tax rate of only about 9%.

The attractive tax rates make Singapore one of the lowest tax regimes in Asia after Hong Kong. Singapore is well on its way to become the best place to setup and grow business for global entrepreneurs. The government just announced a series of incentives and tax benefits to further sharpen the country's competitive edge, making it the most preferred place to do business in the world.


Link to Corporate Tax Rulings

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