The vouchers, expected to benefit about 1.38 million Singaporean households, can be claimed online through its official website and will be valid until Dec. 31, 2027.
Half of them are valid at participating heartland merchants and hawkers while the other half can be used at about 400 outlets operated by eight supermarket chains across the city-state, namely Ang Mo Supermarket, Cold Storage, Giant Singapore, HAO Mart, NTUC FairPrice, Prime Supermarket, Sheng Siong and U Stars Supermarket.
The latest batch of vouchers was initially scheduled for January 2027 under Singapore’s 2026 national budget but was brought forward by six months to help households cope with cost-of-living pressures amid the Middle East conflict, as announced by the Singapore government in April.
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People ride bikes past the skyline of the central business district in Singapore, June 13, 2025. Photo by Reuters |
Introduced in 2020 and expanded a year later, the voucher scheme was designed to help households cope with living costs while supporting businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The vouchers have been given out every year since, with the latest payout marking the ninth tranche.
As of June 3, more than $4.64 billion has been spent across the previous eight rounds of CDC vouchers and two batches of SG60 vouchers, which operate in a similar way and were distributed last year to mark Singapore’s 60th anniversary, Mothership reported, citing Low Yen Ling, senior minister of state for Culture, Community and Youth, and Trade and Industry.
Some $2.43 billion, or 52% of the total, was used at heartland merchants and hawkers while the remainder was spent at supermarkets, Low said.
Over 94% of 1.36 million eligible households have claimed the most recent S$300 voucher tranche distributed in January, and more than 80% of the claimed vouchers have already been spent, she noted.
“Its high utilization rate indicates that Singaporeans have found the CDC voucher scheme to be useful as well as accessible,” Low said, as quoted by Channel News Asia.
Another support measure announced in April was a S$200 boost to a cash handout scheme known as the Cost-of-Living Special Payment.
As a result, eligible Singaporean adults will receive a payout of S$400-600 in September, up from S$200-400 previously.
Speaking at the launch of the latest vouchers on Thursday, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong said the economic impact of the Middle East conflict had so far been less severe than expected.
The city-state’s core inflation rate fell to 1.4% in April from 1.7% in March, he noted, adding that the situation “remains fluid” and the government is prepared to do more.
“The government will continue to monitor developments closely and if the need arises, we stand ready to do more, as we have done before,” Gan said, as quoted by The Straits Times.
Source:e.vnexpress.net
