SINGAPORE: About 950,000 Singaporean households living in Housing Board (HDB) flats will receive their third quarterly Goods and Services Tax Voucher (GSTV) – U-Save and GSTV – service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebates in October.
The rebates are part of the permanent GSTV scheme and Household Support Package (HSP) announced during the 2022 Budget in February, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Friday (Sep 30).
They will provide “continuing help” to defray GST and other living expenses of lower- to middle-income Singaporean households, the ministry added.
Singapore is facing a rising cost of living amid higher global energy and food prices as well as supply chain disruptions.
The authorities have said that an upcoming increase to the GST will not be delayed despite rising inflation, and have announced several support measures to help Singaporeans with rising costs.
Under the enhanced GSTV scheme, eligible households will receive GSTV – S&CC rebates to offset between 1.5 and 3.5 months of their S&CC each year. The rebates are disbursed in April, July, October and January.
Eligible households will receive double their regular U-Save in FY2022.
This amounts to about eight to 10 months’ worth of utility bills for the average household living in 1- and 2-room HDB flats, said the Finance Ministry.
For the average household living in 3- and 4-room HDB flats, this amounts to about four to six months’ worth of utility bills.