Singapore Travel
Orchard Road is a long stretch located to the north of the Singapore River, populated largely by a multitude of world-famous shopping malls. Thousands upon thousands of travelers and locals alike flock the Orchard Road malls, and such a frequented area naturally has a wide variety of hotels to suit the needs of its visitors.
Budget accommodations in the Orchard district come in the form of hostels and dorm-style establishments. A good example would be the YMCA International House on 1 Orchard Road, which has dorm-style rooms but also has a gym and pool. Another example is Habitat Hostels, which has breakfasts and Wi-Fi internet access.
If one wants to take his accommodations a notch higher, Orchard hosts some of the finest mid-range establishments in the country. The Elizabeth hotel is an older establishment that offers excellent value for money. The colonial-style Rendezvous Hotel offers affordable rates despite the relatively modern amenities. Other mid-range hotels include the Orchard Parade Hotel and the YWCA Fort Canning Lodge.
While budget and mid-range hotels are available options for those on tight budgets, the number of high-end luxury hotels is where Orchard truly shines. Right at the center of the district is the Marriott, with Tang’s Department Store located in the building’s basement. Other luxury establishments include the Shangri-La, the Hilton Singapore, and the Grand Hyatt Singapore. The definitive features of these hotels are being located conveniently at or near the district’s center and, of course, offering a high level of comfort, luxury, and excellent service.
Once you step outside your Orchard Road Singapore hotel, there should be one thing on your mind, and that thing is something the surrounding establishments will be reminding every person: Shopping! But shopping is not the only thing worth doing in the Orchard Road area.
The stretch is also lined with a trio of Singapore’s best museums: The National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum, and a British-headquarters-turned-museum called the Battle Box. There are also many places for dining, drinking, and other events and activities.
Getting around the Orchard Road area should be a breeze. Hopping from mall to mall should be doable even on foot. There is also an underground walkway system that links various areas within the district, such as the MRT station in Orchard and Ion Orchard to the eastern Lucky Plaza, the western Wheelock Place, and the Marriott to the north.
Staying at a hotel in the Orchard Road district is a fun and convenient way to experience what is perhaps the densest shopping district in the whole world. With a good range of Singapore hotels that cover the entire budget and target market spectrum, visitors and tourists of all budgets can book rooms right within the district.
Continue reading about Singapore Hotels – A Peek Into Orchard Road
In the latest Doing Business Project 2009 undertaken by the World Bank Group, Singapore came out tops in several categories.The categories that Singapore was ranked first included:
• The ease of doing business
A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means that the regulatory environment is conducive to the operation of a business. Also, the Singapore economy is based on free enterprise, with no restrictions on foreign ownership of business.
• Employing workers
Employing workers measures the flexibility of labour laws among various countries over the world. It examines the difficulty of hiring a new worker, rigidity in terms of working hours and problems faced while dismissing a worker.
• Trading across borders
This ease of trading across borders criteria includes documentation, time and cost to export and import. Singapore is also ranked first for having the most open economy for international trade and investment by the World Economic Forum.
• Taxation
Singapore is business friendly and an ideal country for company formation because of the ease with which taxes can be filed and paid, and also its low corporate tax rates relative to many developed economies in the world. From Year of Assessment 2010 onwards, the corporate tax rate of Singapore is to be 17%, just 0.5% higher than that of Hong Kong – Singapore’s closest competitor in the Asia region.
However, the effective tax rate is significantly lower than most of the countries, if not all the countries, in the region. With a further reduction in the 1% from 18% to 17% in corporate tax rate, it will enhance Singapore’s appeal to attract investment dollars.
In addition, the Singapore Government has been actively trying to encourage the growth of a knowledge-based economy and have in place a myriad of tax incentives – thereby lowering the effective tax rates of companies. Some of the tax incentives schemes handed out by the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) include:
• Pioneer Industries
The EDB may grant pioneer incentive to an approved industry which is not being carried on in Singapore on a scale adequate to the economic needs of Singapore, and for which there are favourable prospects for development. The tax relief period of a pioneer enterprise shall commence on its production day and shall continue for such period, not exceeding 15 years.
• Pioneer Service Companies
Similar to the Pioneer Industries scheme, it is granted to services which fall under the list of ‘qualifying activities’. These include any engineering or technical services such as laboratory, consultancy and research and development activities, computer-based information and other computer related services, the development or production of any industrial design and such other services or activities as may be prescribed.
• Development & Expansion Incentive
A tax relief period of up to 10 years as the Minister may determine not exceeding 5 years for each period may be granted upon approval to the manufacturing or increased manufacturing of any product from any industry that would be of economic benefit to Singapore.
• Enhanced Tax Deduction for Research & Development (R&D) expenses
Where a taxpayer directly carries out qualifying R&D activities in Singapore, he can claim a further deduction of 50% of the amount of qualifying R&D expenses incurred. This is in addition to the 100% deduction he can claim for such expenditure.
In essence, with efficient planning and structuring, Singapore is a great jurisdiction for company incorporation, as it results in a higher net profit after tax. The efficient economy, good infrastructure, skilled workforce and sound economic policies in place has certainly boosted Singapore’s reputation an ideal jurisdiction to do business in.