People walk on the boardwalk in front of commercial high rise buildings at Marina Bay in Singapore on Sept. 26, 2024. Photo by AFP
All Singaporean households can claim S$300 (US$220) in Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers starting Friday to help with daily expenses.
They can use half of the vouchers, which are valid until Dec. 31, 2025, at participating hawker stalls and heartland merchants, and the other half at supermarkets, CNA reported.
Introduced in 2020, the CDC voucher scheme was designed to alleviate living expenses for lower-income households and support hawkers and heartland merchants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. It was expanded to cover all households in 2021.
Around 97% of Singaporean households claimed their vouchers last year, which included $500 in January and $300 in June. Some 97.5% of those vouchers had been used by the end of 2024.
Around 23,000 merchants participated in the scheme in 2024. Eight supermarket chains with nearly 400 outlets are also involved.
Private coffee shop operators have joined the scheme as well, with around 600 coffee shop stalls now accepting CDC vouchers.
Gan Kim Yong, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, noted at the launch event for the vouchers on Friday that while inflation has eased in recent months and is expected to continue declining, the cost of living still poses a concern for Singaporeans, as reported by The Straits Times.
The vouchers are a key part of the government’s efforts to assist households in managing the pressures of living costs, he added.
“We have taken several measures to address these concerns, and we stand ready to do more to support Singaporeans.”
