Rebates for 950,000 households to offset utility and conservancy bills from January

ABOUT 950,000 Singaporean households living in Housing Board flats will each receive up to S$190 in goods and services tax voucher (GSTV)-U-Save rebates from January to offset their GST and other living expenses as part of the government’s moves to mitigate the rising cost of living.

The rebates are disbursed quarterly – in April, July, October and January – each financial year, with eligible households receiving double their regular U-Save rebates this financial year, which ends in March 2023.

Households living in one- and two-bedroom HDB flats will receive the largest rebate of S$190, while those living in three-room flats will receive S$170, said the Ministry of Finance on Friday (Dec 30). Eligible Singaporeans living in four-room flats will get S$150, while those in five-room flats will receive S$130. People living in executive or multi-generational flats will get S$110. This amounts to about eight to 10 months’ worth of utility bills for an average household in a one- or two-room flat, or four to six months’ worth of utility bills for an average household in three- or four-room flats.

The U-Save rebates will be credited directly into utility accounts managed by SP Services. Also, households living in one- to five-room flats will get 0.5 months in GSTV rebates for service and conservancy (S&CC) fees, which would be credited to S&CC accounts managed by respective town councils in January.

The U-Save and S&CC rebates are part of the government’s permanent GSTV scheme and the Assurance Package. The package, first announced in 2020, was given a S$1.4 billion boost in November to help Singaporeans cope with the upcoming GST hike in January from 7 per cent to 8 per cent and is now worth S$8 billion in total.

There will be other rebates and benefits in the first two months of 2023, added the Finance Ministry.

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On Jan 3, every Singaporean household will receive S$300 worth of Community Development Council vouchers, comprising S$200 under the Assurance Package and another S$100 from the S$1.5 billion Support Package announced in October 2022, the ministry said. These can used at participating heartland merchants and hawkers, as well as supermarkets.

In February 2023, lower-income Singaporeans aged 55 years and above will receive up to S$300 in cash and S$150 in their CPF MediSave accounts. Singaporean children aged 20 years and below will also receive S$150 in their MediSave accounts. THE STRAITS TIMES