taxi drivers who like to smoke

Pandanchen

18 Jul 16, 03:33

SINGAPORE: Four men and a woman were arrested in a two-day joint operation on Wednesday (Jul 13) by Singapore Customs and the Police Coast Guard (PCG) for dealing with duty-unpaid cigarettes, said a joint news release.

A total of 18,048 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized in the operation. The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) involved exceeded S$154,000.

On Wednesday afternoon, Singapore Customs officers intercepted a lorry in Bukit Batok Street 21 and found 15,960 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes stored in styrofoam boxes in the lorry.

The 56-year-old male lorry driver was arrested and the lorry was seized.

Investigations by Singapore Customs revealed that the boxes of duty-unpaid cigarettes had been loaded onto the lorry at Changi Creek from a boat registered to a coastal fish farm in the waters off Pulau Ubin.

Upon receiving this information, PCG’s intelligence and Loyang region officers immediately worked together to identify the fish farm believed to be involved in this illegal transaction.

In the early hours of the Thursday morning, PCG and Singapore Customs mounted a joint raid at the identified fish farm. Two other fish farms were also raided after further investigations by PCG investigators.

This follow-up and subsequent interviews by PCG and Singapore Customs officers led to the recovery of 2,088 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes packed in styrofoam boxes and the seizure of a boat.

One man aged 51, two men aged 32, and one woman aged 50, were arrested at the fish farms. Investigations are ongoing.

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act.

Offenders will be severely dealt with. They can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded, and/or jailed for up to six years.

The minimum court fine for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offences is $2,000 and $4,000 respectively. Repeat offenders who are caught with more than 2kg of tobacco products will also face mandatory jail sentences.

- CNA/mn

Pandanchen

18 Jul 16, 03:33

less cheap cigarettes on the streets

bowah

18 Jul 16, 08:42

Aiya, these type of cats and mouse game, every now and then also have, it will not stop one lah, like geyland bak baks, catch here catch there, also keep coming. Why such illegal stuffs are happening, very simple, because the laws is not tough enough, $2k to 4K fine is nothing, even cabby and apps driver can pay when touch wood, kenna accident at Own fault.

Jason65

19 Jul 16, 06:39

Are you sure 2k to 4k fine? If I am not mistaken, the fine is 10 times the duty evaded. Sure bankrupt

bowah

20 Jul 16, 09:16

Quote "The minimum court fine for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offences is $2,000 and $4,000 respectively" UnQuote

Jason65

20 Jul 16, 15:48

Originally posted by bowah:

Quote
“The minimum court fine for first-time and repeat offenders of tobacco-related offences is $2,000 and $4,000 respectively”
UnQuote

That is the MINIMUM fine. Read the sentence before your quote:

" Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, having in possession or dealing with duty-unpaid goods are serious offences under the Customs Act and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act. Offenders will be severely dealt with. They can be fined up to 40 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and/or jailed for up to six years."

So I was wrong. It is 40 times, not 10 times

Jason65

20 Jul 16, 15:50

https://ica.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=13529

bowah

20 Jul 16, 18:18

That is the max mah, we are talking about mini, and if you look at our judiciary sentencing, it is always putting it at the lowest minimum possible sentence. Like max jail 2 years, but end up get 7 days only

Jason65

21 Jul 16, 07:47

I think there are rwo offences. One is peddling, the other is evasion of duty. The first one is like you said, 2k to 4k. Those guilty of the lesser ofence will be the Ah Tiongs who are selling by the roadside and on the internet. But the importer will get whack by the evasion of duty.

bowah

21 Jul 16, 08:33

I think base on the constant cigarettes smuggling in and also, prostitutions and many other white collar crimes like corruptions and misappropriate of funds etc etc, And all these are getting more and more common and frequent just show that the laws and orders are still not tough enough in these areas We can always see in news sex soliciting/corruption/cigarette and others (beside drugs) etc are getting away with light or minimum sentencing. And that give peoples the guts to break it again and again. I can bet you in next few months, there will be another case on cigarette smuggling, and everyday, you can still see foreigners selling/peddling illegal cigarettes, why is it not clean off our road? not to mention these foreigners are also illegal.

Pandanchen

28 Jul 16, 23:06

Just now at T2 I saw NEA officers catching taxi drivers smoking inside taxi

bowah

29 Jul 16, 10:49

Taxi drivers in Singapore seibei ho jiak mah, they rather catch TDs than those illegal immigrants, scare those immigrants poke them.

Pandanchen

29 Jul 16, 12:18

the fine for smoking inside taxi is $100 to $200 ?

bowah

29 Jul 16, 16:04

$250

ALifeOfGreatNess

29 Jul 16, 20:31

Yeah this stuff is just so crazy, people would do anything just to get more money!

Pandanchen

30 Jul 16, 00:42

Originally posted by bowah:

$250

i don't even earn $100 a day

bowah

30 Jul 16, 08:45

Typically, on average, a worker/staff earn only about $70 for eight hours work per day. So you can get $80 or $90 or $60 is fine, but of cos workers/staff get further perks like overtime, allowances, medical, insurance, CPF, medisave and bonuses and leave benefits which a freelance person like Taxi or even apps drivers do not get to enjoy. However, in return, you get a flexible lifestyle, no one on top of you, you can choose to throw key if you wants, you can choose to be hirer or relief, you can start at morning 6 or 8 am or even 10 am is all up to you, but because of having to eat and spent and for some, to bring up children/family, many TDs worked and stressed long hours just to put food and money on the family table. And to me, that is not sustainable. Always remember that in life, we have choices, the more choices you have and dare to take, the more flexible your life is, but if you are a taxi driver that cannot see open type, you will get stressed and end up in SGH, AH, NTFH, NUH, CGH, MEH, RH, KTPH, TTSH, etc etc in no time. I have always told all that when you enter taxi or apps driving trade, you have entered a monastery, so for that matter, as all religion seek the middle way of thing, learn to be contented with what you have, be humble and always walk on the middle way of life, not too extreme in your driving, not too lazy until drive only few hrs, but simply just drive 8hrs as the benchmark. Can or cannot earn or how much you can earn, I can only say on Singapore Road, if you drive for 8hrs, chao chao also got $100 net lah.