Singapore
Singaporeans to receive additional cash and voucher support amid rising costs
In response to rising living costs, the Singapore government, led by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, has unveiled a S$1.1 billion support package for households, particularly those with lower to middle incomes. The package includes cash payouts, vouchers, and rebates to offset increased expenses in utilities and public transport.
SINGAPORE: In light of increasing living costs, the Singapore government has unveiled a fresh S$1.1 billion (US$800 million) cost-of-living support package.
Announced by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, this initiative is directed at bolstering the financial well-being of Singaporean households, focusing on the lower to middle income brackets.
Coming atop enhancements made to last year’s Assurance Package and the most recent updates from Budget 2023 in February, this new development ensures that qualified Singaporeans will receive up to S$800 in cash this December.
Additionally, households can anticipate a collective S$500 in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers come 2024.
The latest package also rolls out supplementary U-Save rebates to counteract the recent surges in carbon tax and water prices.
Moreover, subsidies and vouchers will be introduced to mitigate the consequences of the public transport fare increments announced just a week ago.
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) highlighted that, despite a decrease in inflation from its pinnacle, Singaporean households are grappling with the ripple effects of price hikes across various domains.
This new support package earmarks a S$0.8 billion enhancement for the Assurance Package, pushing its total to a staggering S$10 billion.
Elaborating on the package, the Finance Ministry disclosed that roughly 2.5 million adult Singaporeans will benefit from a one-off additional cash sum of up to S$200 in December, inclusive of the preceding component from the Assurance Package.
This move is strategically designed to amplify support for adult Singaporeans, primarily those from the lower to middle-income range.
Residents earning an annual income of S$34,000 or less will gain up to S$200, supplementing the pre-existing S$600 slated for December disbursement.
Furthermore, every Singaporean household will be entitled to an extra S$200 in CDC vouchers in 2024, raising the total to S$500. These vouchers, valid throughout 2024, can be claimed from January 3 at go.gov.sg/cdcv.
As for rebates, nearly 950,000 households residing in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats will receive a one-time 0.5-month service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebate in January 2024.
According to MOF, this should effectively neutralize the S&CC hike for the initial year for most HDB flats.
Furthermore, these HDB households will also obtain an added S$80/year in U-save rebates over 2024-2025, targeting the anticipated carbon tax and water price escalations.
Public transport measures have also been introduced, with eligible households receiving S$50 transport vouchers to cope with the fare hikes announced by the Public Transport Council.
Closing his announcement, Mr Wong assured Singaporeans of the government’s unwavering support. He emphasized the collective responsibility of the nation to ensure mutual care and assistance as they navigate the economic challenges together.
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What’s the point when the increase is bigger than the payout?
The utility companies are private corporations, thus they can be opaque. For “publicly listed” companies, their majority shareholders are government-linked companies or Tema$ek, so no transparency there either. Only in Singapore does privatising a public service lead to less transparency and more inefficiency. Japan National Railways resurrected itself from the dead. Meanwhile, SMRT died and went to taxpayer-funded heaven. Uniquely Singapore. Do they really need to increase the cost of their services? How about reducing the remuneration of highly paid executives or cutting redundant positions? It seems like another situation of “socialising costs and privatising profits” to me. What do… Read more »
Based on my personal assessment, this cash thingie worked perfectly. 86%. People feel grateful. Product of education system. Now AI. So cert is worthless
When LandLord gives rebates.
Every gov can do the same:
1. Give cash, 1-time, say $100.
2. Then raise tax that guarantees quickly get back $100x population number.
I rationalise as follows:
1. Gov all are funded using money taken from the peasants or people.
2. Any $ given to you can be gotten back with tax raised
This is , scientifically speaking, called Perpetual Motion.
I have been pondering why this SGov, over these few decades, choose to raise any cost and then gives out rebates. Isn’t this double-job? Isn’t it making all public servants more jobs to do? Why can’t it just cut the cost at the source and pass down the cheaper prices to the people? Why? Why? Why? We have CHAS card, S&CC rebates, u-save voucher rebates, GST voucher rebates, HDB housing grants and etc. If you know you will be giving out GST voucher rebates, why raise the GST in the first place? Where will the GST money collected go to?… Read more »
Well they said 61 cotton lovers endorsed what they do…..sigh.
Ah Wong arh !!! An free moon cakes for all Singaporeans?
I know $1000 salary can afford HDB flats. tsk tsk tsk
With both exports and manufacturing productions falling consecutively over the last 11 months SG might have gone into period of economic stagnation.Recent announcements of impending price increases of all necessities will further help push up the already high cost of living.Instead of addressing the stagflation predicament which SG would most likely be confronting in the not too distant future,these idiots are just choosing the easy way out by jacking up prices of all necessities to generate revenue to justify their million dollars annual salaries.So sad 😢😭 to see such bad things are happening in our beloved country.
Thank you PM Lee. That is why me and my family will always vote for PAP!!
They say it is long-term planning, hor.
Make ppl pay more for everything to fill the gov coffers, then give out cash/vouchers so ppl is expected to thank them. What nonsense logic is this?! It’s like a fireman purposely starting fires, then (with cameras rolling) rush to the fires and wayang fighting the fires, hor. Then the ppl whose homes are damaged by the fires is expected to thank the firemen (who started the fires).
Looks like LawlanWong wouldn’t make it.
Question how and what did the PAP Administration do and done to build up SG National Reserves – frauding the people?
PAP government thieves under the guise of socialism dishing out some goodies.( All Stolen Land)
$800 you can wipe your backside for 1 week. Then gone. Give me A million dollar p.a salary you assholes.
Then I will also smirk. Hahaha
They say quarter of our youth have mental problems.
Well this is the cause!
CB (cuckoo bird) tells me: Give the man a job ! He will get fishes everyday. (not give the man a fish today or tomorrow and he has no job)
Thank you CB !
Start liao…take the whole fruit and give you the skin only, a$$hole government.
I guess No More Budget Meal
Problem after Problem
Pay after Pay
MAKE THE FOODS AND DRINKS IN THE HAWKER CENTRES AND COFFEE SHOPS VECOME TASTELESS
CB…take back 2 whole chickens give back 2 chicken wings…for fuck?😆😆😆😆
The biggest TICKET items EATING UP Singaporean’s disposable incomes (long term retirement adequacies) VERY LIKELY are accomodation, mortgages, rental payments amounting $1000s monthly expenses proportions, which attribute largely from population increases, and covid related reasons.
Are there any reimbursements, subsidies (not market subsidy) assistances?
Remake SG.
Restructure.
Both were popularly, strongly embarked, debated, smashed upside down in various Parliament sittings, marathon sessions.
Where are the APPARENT results, solid changes, lives enhancements, society upheavals by these 2 PAP-esque strategies.
Yeah. Results of
-more cheap labour,
-more foreign trash,
-store of Million Dollars HDB rental flats,
-shrinking indigenous population and births,
-money launders one can SEE with eyes blinded,
-Corp BRIBERIES ‘unsolved’, ‘DISMISSED’.
NEW NORMAL.
LW, please make a difference. Declare a living wage of $500/ monthly for all true blue Singaporeans of 65years of age. Transportation and medical must be free for this group of Singaporeans. Stop behaving like Santa Claus and work towards cutting down expenditure. There is no difference between you and LHL if you follow the same methods.of governance as him. Should we hold onto the Devil we know or to one we do not know?
The aggressive central bankers around most of the developed world of modern democratic economies see them working so bloody hard using interest rates and other fiscal policies to fight inflation on behalf of their people’s even tho some inflationary causes like the Russian invasion of Ukraine is beyond their control. Here anyone NOT NOTICE a huge gulf of thinking and policies COMPARED. Like a PAP Politician said, set aside land for those not yet born? How. Many IS COMING to be BORNED? But isn’t IT A FALSE STATEMENT when Ministers live in Huge TRACTS of land isn’t seemingly CONTRADICT the… Read more »
The future pm has assured the muppets and morons, that make up the majority on the island, … of the government’s unwavering support. Thanks a bunch !!! Thanks for the increase in cost of every~day living !!! Thanks for the COE prices !!! Thanks for the affordable public housing !!! Thanks for the increased GST !!! Thanks for the S&CC hike !!! Thanks for the public transport hike !!! Thanks for the increment to water bills !!! Thanks for the jobs !!! Thanks for the increase in wages !!! Thanks for the vouchers and cash !!! Thanks for caring !!!… Read more »