Budget 2021: S$900m Household Support Package to give short-term relief

WITH the economic situation remaining uncertain, a S$900 million Household Support Package has been introduced in Budget 2021, with more support for lower- and middle-income families, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced in his Budget speech on Tuesday.

This includes a one-off GST Voucher cash special payment of S$200 for some 1.4 million eligible lower-income Singaporeans, on top of regular GST Voucher cash payments.

About 950,000 eligible Singaporean households in Housing Board flats will receive an additional 50 per cent GST Voucher U-Save special payment, translating to additional utilities rebates of between S$120 and S$200 this year.

Eligible households will also receive a service and conservancy charges rebate for another year, offsetting between 1.5 months and 3.5 months of such charges.

Singaporean children will also receive a one-off top-up of S$200 each, to either their Child Development Account, Edusave account, or Post-Secondary Education Account. This will benefit about 780,000 children.

Finally, all Singaporean households will each receive S$100 worth of Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers, to be used as participating heartland shops and hawker centres.

This is to thank all Singaporeans for their sense of solidarity in observing Covid-19 safety measures, as well as to continue supporting hawkers and heartland shops, said Mr Heng. It will be funded by an additional S$150 million grant to the CDCs.

Earlier rounds of CDC vouchers had been for lower-income households.